The founding Treaties made no explicit reference to environmental protection as one of the Community's tasks. The principal reason for this omission is that the threat to the environment was far less apparent in 1957, when the Rome Treaties were signed, than today. It is, however, characteristic of the Community - and clear evidence of the dynamic force of the integration - that it has been able to adapt its range of policy instruments to suit the changing needs of the times and society. The goal of Community environmental policy is to preserve and protect the environment and improve its quality, to contribute to the protection of human health and to ensure the prudent and efficient use of natural resources., preservation of the environment from unacceptable damage from the effects and operations of products, processes and services