European Union News - Environmnet

On the 15th of May 2008, the European Commission published notification of State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of agricultural products to various member states. One aid scheme included was to the United Kingdom with over two million Pounds of aid over forur years.

As part of its effort to combat climate change, the European Commission today announced that it would promote the use of ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) to improve energy efficiency throughout the economy, starting with buildings, lighting and the power grid.

The seven outermost regions of Europe (the Canary Islands, the Azores, Madeira, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion) are at the centre of discussions at the conference on the future of the European strategy for these regions, beginning on the 14th May 2008 in Brussels on the initiative of Danuta Hübner, Member of the European Commission responsible for regional policy.

The European Commission decided on the 7th May 2008 to lodge a case to the Court of Justice over the incorrect transposition by Poland into its national law of EU legislation on the Community system to monitor the traffic of ships in EU waters.

The European Commission is sending nine Member States first written warnings for failing to issue new or updated permits for over 9,000 industrial installations already in operation across Europe. These Member States did not satisfactorily issue these permits by the 30 October 2007 deadline.

The European Commission through the European Environment Agency (EEA), have organised a Call for Expressions of Interest 2008 for experts to be appointed members of the Scientific Committee of the EEA (2008/C 111/15). The experts who meet best the above criteria will be appointed for a term of four years which is renewable once for a maximum of another four-year period. Expressions of interest shall be sent via the specific on-line application form (12.00 Central European Time)
or by post not later than 30 June 2008.

The European Commission published, on the 30th April 2008, a proposal for a Council descision authorising the placing on the market of products containing, consisting of, or produced from genetically modified LLCotton25 (ACS-GHØØ1-3).

On the initiative of the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, an informal dialogue took place on 5 May in the headquarters of the European Commission, bringing together around twenty high-level representatives of Christianity, Judaism and Islam in Europe. The meeting was co-chaired by European Commission President Barroso, Slovenian Prime Minister and current President of the European Council, Janez Janša, and the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering. This year's meeting focused on two major challenges facing the European Union: Climate Change and Reconciliation.

The European Commission Directorate general for energy and transport has released Call for proposals under the multi-annual programme 2007-2013 for the year 2008. The the trans-European transport network itself shall be 45 million euros of which 20 million euros shall be devoted to the motorways of the Sea priority project.

The European Commission has launched a consultation to prepare an EU Offshore Wind Energy Action Plan by inviting investors, project developers, wind turbine manufacturers, energy companies, government services, environmental NGOs and all other interested stakeholders, including the general public, to help identify the key barriers for the further development of offshore wind energy in Europe and what might be done to overcome them.

The JRC has informed last 23 April that it is opened the Impact Assessment tools website, IA TOOLS, to the public. This online platform provides policy actors and impact assessment practitioners throughout Europe with a repository of guidance, information and best practices for impact assessment of new policies and legislative measures.

The Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI) has released a call for proposals for CIP ‘Eco-innovation pilot and market replication projects’. The call has been earmarked 28 million euros will be aimed at supporting innovation and small and medium-sized enterprises.