European Union News - Environmnet

The European Commission has published a report on Member States' performance in the prevention and recycling of waste. This report shows that despite some Member States have made excellent progress, there is still some way from achieving the long-term goal of becoming a 'recycling society', a society  that not only avoids producing waste but also uses it as a resource.

Europe's network of protected natural areas Natura 2000 has been expanded by nearly 27,000 km2 covering now almost 18% of the EU's landmass and more than 130,000 km2 of its seas. The main countries involved in this latest expansion are the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Spain and Poland. Natura 2000 now represents the centrepiece of Europe's battle to halt biodiversity loss and safeguard ecosystem services.

Following the requirements laid down in the new Regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging, more than 3 million notifications have been submitted by chemicals manufacturers and importers to the European Chemical Agency by the deadline. This classification aims to better protect human health and the environment, by determining whether a chemical is dangerous and the information on the labels of chemicals that workers and consumers use.

The number of forest areas in Europe facing the onslaught of climate and land use changes, including fires, winds and droughts, is on the rise. For that reason, a concern that weighs on the minds of many Europeans is how to determine which trees adapt best to climate change, something the EU funded project MOTIVE ('Models for adaptive forest management') is trying to answer, by investigating the impact of intensified competition for forest resources given the changes to the climate and land.

Ministers responsible for the Environment meeting in Brussels within the Council on 20 December, reached an agreement which will make pest control products and other everyday items safer to use. The Council determined its first-reading position on revised EU rules concerning biocidal products, which covers a wide range of pest control products, such as insecticides, disinfectants and repellents, but not medicines or agricultural pesticides.

The European Commission published 22 December a report on indirect land use change related to biofuels and bioliquids, acknowledging that this pretice can reduce greenhouse gas emissions savings associated with biofuels, but also identifying a number of uncertainties associated with the available models. The Commission will make an impact assessment and take into consideration potential changes to the existing legislation.

On 21 December the European Commission presented draft legislation to strengthen rules on the control of major accident hazards involving chemicals. The revision of the so-called Seveso II Directive will align the legislation to changes in EU chemicals law and will clarify and update other provisions, with the objective to establish stricter rules and improve the level and quality of information available to the public in the event of an accident.

European Ministers in charge for the environment took note at the Council meeting held in Brussels on 20 December of a report from the presidency on work concerning the proposals to allow member states to restrict the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in their territory. Although the Council is willing to continue discussions with the Commission on this issue, most delegations have expressed two conditions to do so.

The European Commission has launched two online consultations in order to gather opinion over the future of funding instruments in the field of environment. The first consultation related to the next financial instrument for the environment, which will succeed the LIFE+ instrument after its expiry at the end of 2013. The second one seeks opinions over the financing of Natura 2000 Network. Interested parties may submit their opinions until 15 and 17 February respectively.

The European Union is satisfied, in general terms about the results of the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancún, Mexico. The Conference ended on 11 December with the adoption of a balanced package of decisions that set all governments more firmly on the path towards a low-emissions future and support enhanced action on climate change in the developing world. However, the EU point out how this two weeks Conference has shown once again how slow and difficult the process to build a comprehensive and legally binding framework for climate action is.