EU Environment Policy

Latest news on the environment policies of the European Union.

MEPs call for legally binding targets on biodiversity

The European Parliament called Thursday on the upcoming 2020 UN biodiversity conference COP 15 to agree on legally binding targets, as was the case for the Paris agreement on climate change.

European Green Deal

Becoming the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050 is the greatest challenge and opportunity of our times. To achieve this, the European Commission presented the European Green Deal, the most ambitious package of measures that should enable European citizens and businesses to benefit from sustainable green transition. Measures accompanied with an initial roadmap of key policies range from ambitiously cutting emissions, to investing in cutting-edge research and innovation, to preserving Europe's natural environment. Supported by investments in green technologies, sustainable solutions and new businesses, the Commission says the Green Deal can be a new EU growth strategy. Involvement and commitment of the public and of all stakeholders is crucial to its success.

European Green Deal Investment Plan + Just Transition Mechanism

The European Green Deal's Investment Plan - the Sustainable Europe Investment Plan - presented on 14 January will mobilise public investment and help to unlock private funds through EU financial instruments, notably InvestEU, which would lead to at least €1 trillion of investments.

EU sets out plans to finance green economy

The EU unveiled plans Tuesday to finance its new European Green Deal, which it says would lead to more than EUR 1 trillion of public investment through EU financial instruments, as well as private funds.

INSPIRE conference 2020

The 2020 edition of the INSPIRE conference will take place in Dubrovnik, Croatia 12-15 May 2020. The motto of this year's event is "Bringing sustainability and digitalisation together"!

Blue Invest Day

BlueInvest Day 2020 will be held on 04 February 2020 in Brussels.

SolarPower Summit

Organised by SolarPower Europe, the largest European solar association, the SolarPower Summit is globally recognised as the most important event on global solar developments.

EV Charging Infrastructure Forum

In 2020, the 3rd Edition EV Charging Infrastructure Forum will be hosted by Porto, Portugal on May 21-22.

Stricter C02 emissions standards for new cars and vans come into force

A new EU Regulation setting stricter CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and for new light commercial vehicles (vans) in the EU came into force on 1 January 2020.

Global level of marine fuels pollution cut from 1 January

From 1 January 2020, the maximum sulphur content of fuels from ships' combustion engines is reduced to 0.5% (down from 3.5%) - reducing air pollution and protecting health and the environment.

EU states agree fish quotas for 2020

The EU Council reached political agreement Wednesday on 2020 catch limits for the main commercial fish stocks in the Atlantic, the North Sea and international fisheries in which EU vessels participate.

EU-wide classification system for sustainable investments (taxonomy)

The European Parliament and the EU Council reached agreement on 18 December on the creation of the world's first-ever 'green list' - a classification system for sustainable economic activities, or taxonomy.

EU states agree world's first-ever 'green list' for sustainable investment

EU states endorsed Wednesday a political agreement on a 'green list', a common classification system to encourage private investment in sustainable growth and contribute to a climate neutral economy.

EU, without Poland, agrees to aim for climate neutrality by 2050

EU leaders, not including Poland, endorsed Friday the objective of making the EU climate-neutral by 2050 in line with the Paris agreement, as they ended their two-day summit in Brussels.

EU water law is 'fit for purpose', says Brussels

The EU Water Framework Directive is 'fit for purpose', the Commission declared Thursday in an evaluation of EU water legislation that shows improved protection for water bodies and flood risk management.

EU Water Legislation - Fitness Check

The fitness check is a comprehensive policy evaluation of: the Water Framework Directive (WFD); the Environmental Quality Standards Directive (EQSD); the Groundwater Directive (GWD); the Floods Directive (FD). It assesses whether the Directives are fit for purpose by examining their performance against 5 criteria set out in the Commission’s Better Regulation agenda: effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance and EU added value.

The European Green Deal

The European Commission today presented The European Green Deal - a roadmap for making the EU's economy sustainable by turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities across all policy areas and making the transition just and inclusive for all.

New 'Green Deal' is EU's growth strategy, says Commission

The European Commission presented its long-awaited 'Green Deal' Wednesday, a package of measures to boost efficient use of resources, to turn climate challenges into opportunities across all policy areas.

Switzerland to join EU emissions trading system 1 January

Switzerland will become the first country to successfully link its greenhouse gas emissions trading system with the European Union emissions trading system (EU ETS) on 1 January 2020.

COP25 climate change conference

This year's UN Climate Conference brings together governments, businesses, local authorities and civil society in Madrid to express support for the Paris Agreement and for urgent climate action.

The European environment - state and outlook 2020: knowledge for transition to a sustainable Europe

Europe will not achieve its 2030 goals without urgent action during the next 10 years to address the alarming rate of biodiversity loss, increasing impacts of climate change and the overconsumption of natural resources. The European Environment Agency's (EEA) latest 'State of the Environment' report states that Europe faces environmental challenges of unprecedented scale and urgency.

Unprecedented urgency of Europe's environmental challenge

A change of direction is urgently needed if Europe is to face climate challenges of 'unprecedented scale and urgency', the EU environment agency said in its 'State of the Environment' report, published Wednesday.

Euro-MPs call for reduction in pesticides to protect bees

Further reducing use of pesticides, more funds for research and better monitoring are urgently needed to save the EU’s bees, according to the European Parliament's Environment Committee Tuesday.

EU provisionally agrees requirements for water reuse

EU institutions provisionally agreed requirements for water reuse in farming Tuesday, setting out minimum water quality requirements for the safe reuse of treated urban wastewaters in agricultural irrigation.

EU Parliament declares global climate emergency

The EU must commit to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at an upcoming UN Conference, the European Parliament said Thursday as it approved a resolution declaring a climate emergency in Europe and globally.