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Environmental Crime Threatens Europe's Last Pristine Forests and Iconic Wildlife by WWF - World Wide Fund For Nature — last modified 23 November 2017, 14:04 CET

A new UN report warns that illegal logging, illegal caviar trade, mass-killing of wild birds and poaching of bears, wolves and lynx threaten biodiversity and livelihoods in the Danube-Carpathian region stretching over 15 European countries.

Skills shortages: a threat for SMEs by European craft and SME employers’ organisation — last modified 22 November 2017, 15:16 CET

The 2nd European Vocational Skills Week is a real opportunity to showcase the high value of Vocational Education and Training in Europe. It is a unique opportunity to promote and recognise the importance of vocational skills acquired on the job through national, regional and local events taking place across Europe, many of them organised by UEAPME members.

iGirouette®, one step closer to France's major smart city by BUSINESS FRANCE UK — last modified 22 November 2017, 16:03 CET

In partnership with the City of Lyon, 15 iGirouette® have been installed in France's 1st WWF-labeled eco-district.

River revolution in Europe as France launches largest dam removal project on the continent by EUbusiness — last modified 21 November 2017, 14:56 CET

With thousands of proposed dams threatening Europe’s few remaining free flowing rivers, France’s decision to remove two large dams could signal the start of a new era on the continent – with countries focussing on reviving their rivers and on large scale dam destruction rather than construction.

Social dimension needed for more jobs and fairness by European craft and SME employers’ organisation — last modified 17 November 2017, 11:40 CET

At the Extraordinary Meeting of the Gothenburg Summit between the EU Institutions and the European Social Partners, UEAPME President Ulrike Rabmer-Koller highlighted that UEAPME’s first priority for the European Pillar of Social Rights is to better integrate the economic and social dimension.

Tax dodgers under fire by Nick Prag — last modified 17 November 2017, 00:16 CET

Luxleaks, the Panama Papers, and now the Paradise Papers. Enough tax dodging to build quite a few hospitals, schools and other infrastructure. Yet the speed and enthusiasm with which EU governments have rushed to tackle tax evasion and avoidance underwhelmed MEPs this week.

Air Quality in European cities - Urban PM2.5 Atlas by EUbusiness — last modified 16 November 2017, 22:33 CET

Many European cities suffer from poor air quality and regularly exceed both the European standards prescribed by the Air Quality Directive and the guidelines recommended by the World Health Organization. This is particularly the case for fine particulate matter (PM10) for which both the daily and yearly average limit values are regularly exceeded in many cities and several regions in Europe. Similar conclusions hold for PM2.5 where few cities manage to keep concentrations below the levels recommended by the WHO. Actions have been proposed and taken at the international, national and urban scales to reduce air pollution. While they have undoubtedly resulted in an overall improvement of the air quality over the years, there are still problems which are localised in specific regions and many cities. A key issue is thus to determine at which scale to act in order to abate these remaining air pollution problems most effectively. Central to this for cities, is a quantitative assessment of the different origins of air pollution in the city (urban, regional, national and transboundary) to support the design of efficient and effective air quality plans, which are a legal obligation for countries and regions whenever exceedances occur. The “Screening for High Emission Reduction Potentials for Air quality” tool (SHERPA) has been developed by the Joint Research Centre to quantify the origins of air pollution in cities and regions. In this Atlas, both the spatial (urban, country…) and sectoral (transport, residential, agriculture…) contributions are quantified for 150 European urban areas in Europe, where many of the current exceedances to the air quality EU limit values and WHO guidelines are reported. There is a need to provide information to improve air quality policy governance, to support authorities in choosing the most efficient actions at the appropriate administrative level and scale. In particular, actions at the local level focusing on the urban scale and at national/international level needs to be carefully balanced. Key conclusions are: • For many cities, local actions at the city scale are an effective means of improving air quality in that city. The overall conclusion is that cities have a role to play by taking actions at their own scale. It is important to emphasise that the emissions in cities contribute significantly to country and EU overall PM concentrations, reinforcing the important role of cities in reducing the air pollution through a multilevel approach. • Impacts of abatement measures on air quality are city specific The impact of a given abatement measure on air quality differs from city to city, even for cities that are located in the same country. Actions taken at different scales or in different activity sectors therefore lead to impacts on air quality that are city-specific. The diversity of possible responses to abatement measures stresses the need to take into account these city-specific circumstances when designing air quality plans. Actions that are efficient in one city might not be efficient in others. • Sectoral measures addressing agriculture at country or EU scale would have a clear benefit on urban air quality. Although agricultural emissions are limited in the "city" as defined here, agriculture considerably impacts air quality in many EU cities. The extent of the impact of agriculture on air quality is indicative of the potential of EU- or country-wide measures addressing this sector. Moreover, other sectoral measures can have an important potential at the urban scale even though they are applied at EU or country scale. This is the case of road transport where the EURO norms are, in practice, most effective in the areas where traffic is most important, i.e. cities.

High commitment to Paris - insufficient action at home by CAN Europe — last modified 16 November 2017, 19:15 CET

After a decade of rapid growth, we see a strong decrease in the growth rates of global CO2 emissions over the past years, sending signals for a decarbonisation of the global energy system. The Climate Change Performance Index 2018 (CCPI) confirms these developments in Greenhouse-Gas-emissions (GHG), renewable energies and energy use for some countries but also still clearly shows a current general lack of ambitious targets and sufficient implementation for a Paris-compatible pathway.

EU Parliament calls for EU agriculture and budget to better protect biodiversity by WWF - World Wide Fund For Nature — last modified 16 November 2017, 18:43 CET

Today the European Parliament voted a resolution, supporting the EU Commission’s Action Plan for nature, people and the economy [1], and calling for the future EU Budget and Agricultural Policy to strongly contribute to nature protection in Europe.

Phasing out coal, powering a sustainable future by WWF - World Wide Fund For Nature — last modified 16 November 2017, 16:33 CET

WWF welcomes the creation of the ‘The Global Alliance to Power Past Coal’, launched in Bonn today, as an important step toward building a coal-free future. It is time for the European Union to follow suit.

Special report No 17/2017: The Commission's intervention in the Greek financial crisis by EUbusiness — last modified 16 November 2017, 15:46 CET

The European Court of Auditors examined the European Commission's management of the three Economic Adjustment Programmes for Greece, bearing in mind the institutional set-up of the different financial assistance instruments used. In relation to the ongoing programme, the audit focused only on the design aspects. Funding for the first programme (GLF), in 2010, was 110 billion euros; for the second (EFSF; 2012) it was 172.6 billion euros and for the third (ESM; 2015) it was 86 billion euros. As of mid-2017, Greece still requires external financial support and the ECA found that the objectives of the programmes were met only to a limited extent. Overall, the programmes' design did make the progress of reform in Greece possible, but weaknesses were found. The ECA makes a number of recommendations to the Commission for future support programmes.

MUP court ruling a sad day for the internal market by spiritsEUROPE — last modified 15 November 2017, 13:28 CET

spiritsEUROPE regrets the UK Supreme Court ruling on MUP, which will distort competition by preventing efficient low-cost producers of alcoholic drinks in other Member States from using that competitive advantage against higher cost producers, without targeting those who drink at harmful levels.

Italy the best performing OECD economy in this year's World Bank Paying Taxes survey by EUbusiness — last modified 15 November 2017, 00:23 CET

Russell Bedford International member firm Studio Corno, Milan, has again assisted the World Bank in researching its annual Doing Business project. This year’s report, Doing Business 2018: Reforming to Create Jobs, shows Italy to have the most improved tax environment of the OECD economies, up 14 places from 126 to 112

German electricity exports are fueling domestic coal mining by Sandbag — last modified 15 November 2017, 00:18 CET

Germany could cut the equivalent of Hungary’s annual emissions, just by stopping electricity exports. A new report released by the climate thinktank Sandbag shows Germany exported 49TWh of electricity in 2016 - and is on course for even more in 2017 - from the world’s dirtiest fossil fuel, lignite.

The EU's move against innovation by Philip Stevens — last modified 14 November 2017, 15:58 CET

As the European Commission prepares to publish its long-awaited review of pharmaceutical innovation incentives, two major factors must steer its future policy direction.

Philip Stevens by Philip Stevens — last modified 14 November 2017, 15:44 CET

Philip founded Geneva Network in 2015. He oversees all research, writing, communications and fundraising.

Education and Training Monitor 2017 by EUbusiness — last modified 10 November 2017, 11:40 CET

The European Commission published on 9 November the 2017 edition of the Education and Training Monitor, which analyses and compares the main challenges for European education systems. The Monitor shows that national education systems are becoming more inclusive and effective. Yet it also confirms that students' educational attainment largely depends on their socio-economic backgrounds.

Implementation of EU Free Trade Agreements 1 January 2016 - 31 December 2016 by EUbusiness — last modified 09 November 2017, 22:35 CET

The European Commission published on 9 November 2017 a report assessing the implementation of the EU's existing trade agreements. This is another step towards a fully transparent and inclusive trade policy, in line with the Commission's commitments set out in the EU's 2015 'Trade for All' strategy. The report shows that the export increases observed for the agreements negotiated in the past amount to as much as 416% for Mexico, 170% for Chile, and around 60% for South Korea and Serbia. The agricultural and car sectors appear to be benefiting the most (e.g. 244% increase in car exports to South Korea since 2011 and 92% and 73% increase to Colombia and Peru respectively for agricultural goods since 2013).

Small is beautiful: Don't burden small businesses and consumers, empower them to boost the energy transition! by AEBIOM — last modified 09 November 2017, 19:49 CET

The trade associations representing key players in Europe’s energy transition urge policy makers to take a step-wise approach towards the market integration of small-scale renewable and high efficiency cogeneration installations.

MedTech Europe: Brexit deal must ensure continued access to needed medtech by MedTech Europe — last modified 09 November 2017, 19:37 CET

MedTech Europe, the trade association representing the medical technology industry, wants negotiators to be highly sensitive to the impact of Brexit to patients and the SME-based medical technology industry. The association calls for effective arrangements that will mitigate potential risks to patients’ access or to the competitiveness of the sector on both sides of the channel.