Environment Guides

Fish-friendly laundry and dishwasher detergents - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 15 December 2011, 00:01 CET

Washing powders and dishwasher detergents will need to be almost phosphate-free in future, following a vote in the European Parliament on Wednesday. The measures aim to protect aquatic life in waterways and seas around the EU.

Monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and other climate action information - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 24 November 2011, 00:19 CET

Timely and accurate data on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is vital for knowing whether the EU and its Member States are on track to meet their emission targets and for developing robust new policies to address the climate challenge. The European Commission today proposed legislation to significantly enhance the monitoring and reporting of GHG emissions, in particular to meet new requirements arising from the package of EU climate and energy laws for the period 2013-2020.

Plant health pests and EU funding programmes to deal with them - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 16 November 2011, 17:07 CET

The European Union today earmarked 19 million euros to co-finance programmes in seven Member States aiming to combat organisms harmful to plants and to prevent them from spreading further in the Union and thus from having sever consequences on the internal market. During a meeting of the Standing Committee on Plant Health (SCPH), the Member States endorsed two Commission proposals providing the co-financing (EUR 15 and EUR 4 million respectively) of actions already undertaken in the past or planned to be executed next year.

Evaluation of the European Union's GMO legislation - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 29 October 2011, 00:14 CET

Two independent reports evaluating the European Union's legislation on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) conclude that there is broad support for the legislation's objectives and show that recent legislative Commission initiatives are heading in the right direction. The documents, published today, also note that some adjustments are necessary if we are to meet the objectives of the legislation -the protection of health and the environment and the creation of an internal market- and to ensure that the legislation is properly implemented.

Benchmark for free allocation to airlines and on the inclusion of aviation in the EU's Emission Trading System (EU ETS) - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 26 September 2011, 22:55 CET

The European Commission has taken an important step for the aviation industry to join other economic sectors in the fight against climate change. Aviation will become part of the EU's emissions trading system (EU ETS) from 2012. The European Commission has published the benchmark values which will be used to allocate greenhouse gas emission allowances free of charge to more than 900 aircraft operators.

Resource Efficiency Roadmap - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 21 September 2011, 14:05 CET

The European Commission has set out a 'roadmap' aimed at transforming Europe's economy into a sustainable one by 2050. The Roadmap to a resource-efficient Europe outlines how we can achieve the resource efficient growth which is essential for our future wellbeing and prosperity. The roadmap identifies the economic sectors that consume the most resources, and suggests tools and indicators to help guide action in Europe and internationally. It is an agenda for competitiveness and growth based on using fewer resources when we produce and consume goods and creating business and job opportunities from activities such as recycling, better product design, materials substitution and eco-engineering.

Fighting forest fires in Europe - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 26 August 2011, 23:04 CET

Every year there are devastating forest fires in Europe, destroying thousands of hectares of forests. The South European countries are at higher risk, but no European country is immune. When the fire gets too big for a country to extinguish it on its own, the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism can be activated to help by coordinating the response from fellow member states.

Bathing water policy - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 16 June 2011, 17:14 CET

The quality of bathing water across Europe declined slightly between 2009 and 2010, but the overall quality was still high. More than nine out of 10 bathing water sites now meet the minimum requirements. Cyprus was the star performer, with 100% of its bathing water sites meeting strict guide values, followed by Croatia (97.3%), Malta (95.4%), Greece (94.2%) and Ireland (90.1%). The results are from the annual Bathing Water Report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Commission, which compare water quality in more than 21,000 coastal and inland bathing sites across the EU-27. The Commission has also adopted new signs and symbols that will be used to inform the public on bathing water classification and on bathing restrictions.

Nuclear Stress Tests - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 11 May 2011, 16:19 CET

The "stress tests" are a set of additional safety criteria drawn up in the light of the nuclear accident in Fukushima. These EU wide criteria will be in addition to safety standards already being in place at national level. Their aim is to assess whether the safety margins used in the licensing of nuclear power plants were sufficient to cover unexpected events.

Communication: an EU biodiversity strategy to 2020 - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 05 May 2011, 12:06 CET

The Commission on 3 May presented a new strategy to protect and improve the state of Europe's biodiversity over the next decade. The strategy includes six targets which address the main drivers of biodiversity loss, and which will reduce the main pressures on nature and ecosystem services in the EU by anchoring biodiversity objectives in key sectoral policies. The global aspects of biodiversity loss are also addressed, ensuring that the EU contributes to combating biodiversity loss around the world. The strategy is in line with the commitments made by the EU in Nagoya, Japan, last year.

Emissions trading: draft Commission Decision on free allocation rules for the ETS by EUbusiness — last modified 27 April 2011, 13:47 CET

The European Commission today adopted a Decision on how free emission allowances should be allocated from 2013 to industrial installations covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Although auctioning will become the main principle for allocating allowances as of 2013, a proportion of free allowances will still be given to industry until 2020, notably to reduce costs for installations in sectors deemed to be exposed to significant competition from outside the EU. The Decision sets out the rules, including the benchmarks of greenhouse gas emissions performance, to be used by the Member States in calculating the number of allowances to be allocated for free annually in these sectors.

New EU fisheries control rules - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 12 April 2011, 18:40 CET

Getting away with fishing illegally will become much more difficult for fishermen, as the EU's new system for fisheries control is now fully operational. With the adoption of detailed rules on how to carry out controls throughout the market chain "from net to plate", the EU now has the means to break with the past and establish a real culture of compliance to stop overfishing and help make EU fisheries truly sustainable. The new system ensures traceability throughout the whole chain from the time when the fish is caught until it reaches the consumer. Member states' authorities can spot wrongdoings at any point in the market chain, and trace them back to the culprit. Inspections will be done in the same way all over Europe. Data are collected and cross-checked electronically. And once the product reaches the stores, the consumer will know it has been fished legally. If someone breaks the law, they will face equally severe sanctions wherever they are and whatever their nationality. And if they are repeatedly caught fishing illegally, thanks to a new point system they will end up losing their licence.

European Energy Efficiency Plan - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 08 March 2011, 20:46 CET

The European Commission today adopted a plan for saving more energy through concrete measures. Energy efficiency is a key tool for strengthening Europe's competitiveness and reduces energy dependence, while decreasing the level of emissions. The set of measures proposed aims at creating substantial benefits for households, businesses and public authorities: it should transform our daily lives and generate financial savings of up to EUR 1000 per household every year. It should improve the EU's industrial competitiveness with a potential for the creation of up to 2 million jobs.

Roadmap for moving to a low carbon economy in 2050 - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 15 March 2011, 21:02 CET

The European Commission today adopted a Roadmap for transforming the European Union into a competitive low carbon economy by 2050. The Roadmap describes the cost-effective pathway to reach the EU's objective of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% of 1990 levels by 2050. Based on the cost-effectiveness analysis undertaken, the Roadmap gives direction to sectoral policies, national and regional low-carbon strategies and long-term investments. The EU needs to start working now on long-term strategies, and the Roadmap provides guidance on how this transition can be achieved in the most cost-effective way. The European Commission has also taken the initiative because leading the global transition to a low carbon and resource-efficient economy will have multiple benefits for the EU.

Historic aviation emissions and the inclusion of aviation in the EU's Emission Trading System (EU ETS) - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 08 March 2011, 13:13 CET

The European Commission on 8 March took an important step in preparing for the full inclusion of aviation in the EU's emissions trading system (EU ETS) from 1 January next year. The European Commission has decided on the historical aviation emissions which will be used to calculate the number of aviation allowances to be available from 2012.

UN climate conference in Cancún - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 29 November 2010, 23:21 CET

The United Nations climate change conference starting on 29 November in Cancún, Mexico must take a significant step towards establishing a comprehensive and legally binding framework for climate action at global level. In Cancún the European Union will be pressing for agreement on a balanced set of decisions which would pave the way for reaching a legally binding global framework as soon as possible and also lead to immediate climate action on the ground. The EU, the world's leading aid donor, will give a full and transparent report in Cancún on its delivery of 'fast start' funding to support developing countries.

Climate Change Windows - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 29 November 2010, 23:15 CET

As the Cancun Climate Change Conference kicks off, the Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs, the Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard and the Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle announced today specific climate change "windows" in all EU regional Investment Facilities. These "windows" indicate the financing and enable tracking of all climate change related projects funded by the EU, the European Investment Bank and other European Finance Institutions through these facilities. They encompass both public and private investments in strategic areas like transports, energy, environment, water, sanitation and forests.

EC fishing opportunities proposal for 2011 - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 11 November 2010, 21:27 CET

The European Commission has adopted its fishing opportunities proposal for 2011 setting levels of total allowable catch (TAC) and fishing effort for the Atlantic, the North Sea, and international waters regulated by a Regional Fisheries Management Organisation. The proposal is based on scientific advice about the quantities of fish that can be caught sustainably. The Commission has discussed working methods with Member States and stakeholders and has taken into account their advice, while being consistent with the objective of achieving maximum sustainable yield (MSY) by 2015.

EU proposal to ban phosphates in laundry detergents - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 04 November 2010, 16:29 CET

The European Commission has proposed to ban the use of phosphates and to limit the content of other phosphorous containing compounds in laundry detergents. The draft Regulation aims to reduce the phosphates found in waste water and to improve water quality. The draft Regulation does not affect detergents for automatic dishwashers or those used by professionals as technically and economically feasible alternatives are not yet available throughout the EU. However, Member States can regulate the phosphate content of these detergents in specific circumstances.

Safety standards for nuclear waste disposal - guide by EUbusiness — last modified 04 November 2010, 00:39 CET

The European Commission has proposed safety standards for disposing spent fuel and radioactive waste from nuclear power plants as well as from medicine or research. In the Directive put forward today, EU Member States are asked to present national programmes, indicating when, where and how they will construct and manage final repositories aimed at guaranteeing the highest safety standards. With the Directive internationally agreed safety standards become legally binding and enforceable in the European Union.