European Union News - Environmnet

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.

The European Commission launched a proposal to implement targets that will further considerably reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from new cars and light commercial vehicles (vans). The Commission highlighted that the mandatory targets for 2020 are already envisaged in existing legislation but require implementation.

The European Commission announced the launching of a Smart Cities and Communities European Innovation Partnership (SCC) with the aim at boosting the development of smart technologies in cities. According to the Commission, smart urban technologies can make a major contribution to tackling many urban challenges.

The European Commission’s Sustainable Urban Mobility campaign represents a three-year initiative aiming to support sustainable urban mobility campaigners in 31 countries. According to Commission's Vice-President Siim Kallas and responsible for Transport, the central objective of this new campaign is to promote the advantages of combining different modes of transportation.

The European Commission announced that the two-year transition period for the organic food sector to comply with new EU labelling rules is reaching its end. As from 1 July 2012, the EU organic logo will be obligatory on all pre-packaged organic food products produced in EU Member States which meet the necessary standards.

According to a report from the European Court of Auditors (ECA), a number of competent authorities in the Member States do not sufficiently fulfill their supervisory role over control bodies. In addition, among other conclusions, the system governing the various import schemes was also found to have weaknesses.

According to Cedefop's new report, governments and employers must act to help people develop skills for green jobs. The report also found little evidence that green policies are influencing skills development and hiring policies.

Environment Commissioner, Janez Potočnik, who attended to the Rio +20 Conference on behalf of the EU and its Member States, supported the outcome document. However, he stressed that there are a number of areas where the EU would have hoped for a more ambitious outcome.