European Union News - Environmnet

According to a new report put forward by the European Commission about waste management policies put in place by Member states, the situation confirms Commission's concerns on some Member states' performance. Despite a number of countries already has a culture of responsible waste management or is in good way to implement it, there is still a significant number of countries where landfills are still the essential element of municipal waste management.

The European mission Mars Express developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) welcomed to the Red Planet the Curiosity rover sent by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). ESA’s New Norcia tracking station also picked up signals directly from the NASA mission, 248 million km away at Mars.

The European Commission has expressed its satisfaction with the commitment of the Spanish authorities to improve legal certainty for European citizens who purchased a property on the Spanish coast. This decision follows numerous complaints received from both Spanish citizens and citizens from other Member states who own properties in Spanish coast.

The European Commission has adopted the first part of the 2012 Regional Action Programme for the Eastern Neighbourhood whose main objectives will focus on funding projects in the field of transport and environmental protection. The remaining part of the Action Programme is expected to be adopted in successive tranches over 2012.
 

Nearly four years after the adoption of EU guidelines on state aid for environmental protection, the European Commission considers that i is time to take stock on the current situation and the results of their application. The conclusions drawn from this analysis will inform the draft of new guidelines in 2013.

The European Commission has adopted the action programme 2012 for Morocco which will include actions aimed at improving policies for forests management and protection as well as actions to support economic reform and institutional capacity building. In addition to the €112 million adopted within the action program 2012 for Morocco, the Commission has also allocated a €80 million additional envelope within the SPRING programme.

The Decision adopted by the European Commission proposes to clarify the provisions of the EU ETS Directive on the timing of auctions of emission allowances. According to Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, this short-term measure will improve the functioning of the market. If the political will is there, all the necessary decisions can be taken before the next auctioning phase starts at the beginning of 2013.

The European Commission announced the projects related to the environment which will be funded with a total investment of some €516.5 million, of which the EU will provide €268.4 million, in particular, from the LIFE+ Programme.

The European Commission presented new measures to regulate fishing for deep-sea species and their habitats in the North-East Atlantic. Among the measures, the Commission proposes a reinforced licensing system and a gradual phase-out of those fishing gears that specifically target deep sea species in a less sustainable manner.

The new Regulation on biocides that has as main aim to ensure that only safe products are made available and that the most dangerous substances are kept out of our market, entered into force on the 17 of July 2012.