European Union News - Environmnet

The European Commission has adopted on 4 November the decision to grant 1.5 million Euro in humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable people affected by droughts in the Bolivian Chaco. European aid will be focused on measures to fight against the consequences of droughts as well as to improve the communities' resilience to future events.

The European Commission has put forward on 3 November a proposal for Council Directive including safety standards for disposing spent fuel and radioactive waste from nuclear power plants as well as from medicine or research. With this Directive internationally agreed safety standards become legally binding and enforceable in the European Union.

The European Commission published on 29 October its Guidelines for wind energy development in protected natural areas. These guidelines will apply to the Natura 2000 network, a cornerstone of EU biodiversity policy and a key tool to achieve the EU target of halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2020.

The Heads of State and Government from the European Union, meeting in Brussels for the Autumn European Council, emphasized the need to reach a legally binding agreement on climate. In their conclusions, EU leaders underlined that it has become increasingly urgent to make progress in tackling climate change.

An international group of environmental experts is waving another red flag as new research from the Arctic region shows that the area is not getting any relief from climate change, which is impacting not only the ecosystems and the lives of creatures living there but also the weather patterns in the most populated parts of the northern Hemisphere. The findings are presented in the 'Arctic Report Card', an annual review of the conditions up north.

MEPs meeting within the Energy Committee adopted a report putting forward Parliament's priorities for the European Energy Strategy 2011-2020. In this resport, the Committee urged the European Commission to fully exploit existing EU energy legislation and projects and put energy efficiency as a key priority of Europe's energy strategy for 2011-2020.

Currently, there are many different authorities and public agencies holding a huge amount of varied data related to maritime surveillance and traffic control. In order to cope with this situation and move towards a more efficient and cost-effective maritime sector, the European Commission has put forward a series of initiatives to bring together all relevant authorities of every affected areas in all member states.

Spanish city of Vitoria-Gasteiz and the French city of Nantes have been awarded as the next European Green Capitals prize for the years 2012 and 2013. These two cities have been selected among a group of six finalists for their commitment with the environment and for a sustainable urban planning.

In a bid to investigate how the climate has changed over time, scientists have often turned to ice cores, lake sediments and tree rings. But now researchers from France and the United Kingdom have discovered another, albeit unusual resource, that is shedding new light on climate change, especially in drier areas: ancient animal urine. The team received a grant from the European Research Council for their study.