European Union News - Environmnet

23 European highly innovative demonstration projects in the field of energy will receive €1.2 billion from the first call of the NER300 Programme. These projects will cover a wide range of renewable technologies such as bioenergy, concentrated solar power, geothermal, wind and ocean energy resources, or distributed renewable management – i.e., smart grids.

The new European environmental rules on marine fuels came into force on December 17th 2012. The aim of these new standards is to improve the environmental conditions of marine corridors by reducing air pollution and its impact on human health.

The European Commission launched a public consultation on the best way to improve air quality in Europe. The results of the consultation will feed into a comprehensive review of Europe's air policies due in 2013. The consultation is open until 4 March 2013.

The agreement reached at the Doha Climate Change Conference was welcomed by the European Union. In particular, the EU welcomed the workplan agreed for 2013 and beyond under the Durban Platform. The balanced Doha outcome enabled the EU to confirm its commitment to participate in the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol starting on 1 January 2013.

The European Commission published guidelines to improve understanding of how aquaculture can be carried out inside Natura 2000, the EU-wide network of protected natural areas. These guidelines focus on the implementation of the provisions on appropriate assessment under the Habitats Directive.

The Council conclusions on renewable energy adopted on 3 December set out a set of priorities among which included the internal electricity market opening, a better market integration of renewable energy sources, more cooperation and trade between member states, and the adoption of the energy infrastructure package as soon as possible.

The European Commission presented a proposal for an Environment Action Programme (EAP) which is aimed at protecting nature, stimulating sustainable growth, creating new jobs and setting Europe on a path to prosperity and health within the limits of the planet.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted financial support to large complex to be built Ouarzazate in southern Morocco. This plant will produce about 160 MW of electricity per year in its first phase of operation and will quadruple this capacity when being at its full capacity.

The European Commission has adopted the inclusion of 235 additional natural areas to the Natura 2000 network. The last update includes not only the inclusion of new sites, but also the extension and modification of some that were already part of the network. Further to the update the Natura 2000 network amounts for nearly 25,000 km2 of protected areas.