 Before the first environmental Action Plan was adopted by the European Community, environmental NGOs from Europe met in the United Kingdom, together with the European Commission, the UNECE, the UNEP and the IUCN.During the meeting, it was surfaced the project of creating a federation of non-governmental organizations within the European Community, which later become an information clearinghouse for the EC countries.The EEB office was set up in Brussels in 1974 to provide a focal point for its members to monitor and respond to the EU's emerging environmental policy.