European Union News - Environmnet

The Official Journal of the European Union published on 18 November 2010 Regulation Nº 1031/2010 of 12 November 2010 on the timing, administration and other aspects of auctioning of greenhouse gas emission allowances. This Regulation aims to establish common rules in order to run a single auction system, considered as the most effective for the proper functioning of the single market.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has achieved its goals for 2010 and embarked on a new phase of activity which will see scientists probe the kind of matter that existed just after the Big Bang.

The European Parliament has demanded the Commission to introduce "efficient and flexible" market mechanisms without delay to curb price volatility and speculation which are damaging European livestock sector. MEPs point to the high cereal prices as a major cause of the crisis faced by farmers which could lead to a significant reduction in meat production in the EU.

The Research, Industry and Energy Committee of the European Parliament has backed the proposal to reallocate more than 146 million Euro to finance energy saving, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Once endorsed by the Council, these funds which were not part of the European Energy Recovery Plan, will be available for regional and local authorities since 1 January 2011.

The European Commission has presented on 10 November its Communication “Energy 2020” setting the main objectives for EU energy policy over the next ten years. This strategy details the five top priorities, which will be the base for concrete legislative initiatives and proposals to be put forward by Commission within the next 18 months, and which will be on the agenda for the discussion by Heads of States and Governments at the very first EU Summit on Energy on 4 February 2011.

The European Council voted on 8 November the adoption of the new Directive which will cut industrial emissions from large combustion plants across the EU. This legal provision represents one more step in the efforts made by the Commission to control industrial pollution, contributing to enhance citizens' protection against industrial pollution at the time of reducing air and other environmental pollution.

The Official Journal of the European Union published on 6 November 2010 Commission's Decision C(2010) 7499, laying down the criteria and measures for the financing of commercial demonstration projects that aim at the environmentally safe capture and geological storage of CO2, as well as demonstration projects of innovative renewable energy technologies under the scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community.

EU companies cut their research and development (R&D) investments by 2.6% in 2009, the new Industrial R&D Investments Scoreboard reveals. It is the first time that business R&D investments have fallen in a number of years. It should be noted, however, that sales and profits fell by 10% and 21% respectively, and that R&D investment decisions for 2009 were taken in late 2008, at the height of the financial crisis. Under these circumstances, the fact that R&D investments fell so little demonstrates the importance of R&D to businesses.

The European Commission has presented on 4 November a proposal to ban the use of phosphates and to limit the content of other phosphorous containing compounds in laundry detergents. The draft Regulation, which does not affect detergents for automatic dishwashers or those used by professionals yet, aims to reduce the phosphates found in waste water and to improve water quality.