MAY 2012
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No 47
Environment for Europeans Magazine of the Directorate-General for the Environment
Are we doing enough for Europe’s waters?
Environment
EDITORIAL
Environment for Europeans ec.europa.eu/environment/news/efe/index.htm
Implementation is the name of the game The EU already has an extensive and mature corpus of environmental law. The priority now is not so much to add to it as to ensure that the various measures agreed at European level are properly applied in practice by national, regional and local authorities, economic interests and the general public. Better implementation would benefit everyone. When he became Environment Commissioner, Janez Potočnik made clear that ensuring full implementation of EU legislation would be one of his personal priorities. This can be achieved in various ways. One is the stick. The Commission has the power to take legal action against a Member State for not respecting its obligations under EU law. This infringement procedure contains several stages. Frequently, governments fall into line and the matter is settled during the process. However, if there is no settlement the case is referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union and may ultimately lead to a Member State being fined. The Commission can also use a carrot, helping national authorities to improve their implementation record, as an article in this issue explains. This can be achieved in many ways, such as more extensive use of information technology tools and closer contacts between different professional groups involved in supervising implementation of legislation. The public also has a role to play. Clarifying rules on the right to raise environmental issues before domestic courts would give NGOs and ordinary citizens stronger possibilities to air their concerns. The Commission would like to see in each Member State an independent review body to whom complainants could turn if dissatisfied with the response they receive from public authorities. Consideration is also being given to mediation and environmental conflict resolution procedures which could be quicker and cheaper than judicial review.
CONTENTS
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Adapting to climate change Rio+20: European Union aiming high A Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources Raising ship recycling standards Ensuring access to justice Implementing environment legislation Agriculture and forestry contributions to climate action Creating an environmental electronic data network In situ precipitation technique for cleaner groundwater New publications / Agenda In brief
EDITORIAL INFORMATION Environment for Europeans is a quarterly magazine published by the Directorate-General for Environment of the European Commission. It is available in Bulgarian, Spanish, Czech, German, Estonian, Greek, English, French, Italian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese and Romanian. Subscription is free. You can subscribe using the form inside the magazine or online at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/mailingregistration/ main/mailing_reg.cfm Editor-in-chief: Róbert Konrád Co-ordinator: Jonathan Murphy For more information, please contact the Communication Unit: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/contact/form_en.htm Information and documents: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/contact/form_en.htm Environment for Europeans website: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/news/efe/index.htm ENVIRONMENT ONLINE Do you want to know what the European Union is doing to protect the environment, what an integrated policy product is or how to qualify for an ‘Ecolabel’? Find out all this and more at DG Environment’s website: ec.europa.eu/environment/index_en.htm NOTICE Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use to which information in this publication may be put, or for any errors which, despite careful preparation and checking, may appear. Printed on recycled paper that has been awarded the EU Ecolabel for graphic paper. (ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel) Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2012 ISSN 1563-4183 © European Union, 2012 © Illustrations: Laurent Durieux Reproduction of the text is permitted provided the source is acknowledged. Reproduction of the photographs is prohibited. Printed in Belgium
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ADAPTATION AND WATER
Adapting to climate change Adaptation and mitigation measures are being developed in the fight against climate change. Adaptation is still relatively new, but since it is a cross-cutting exercise and important policy developments are at stake, it feeds into other areas such as water policy and the Commission’s water Blueprint due before the end of the year. The EU’s White Paper on adaptation sets out a framework to reduce the Union’s vulnerability to the impact of climate change. It rests on four pillars. It looks to build a solid knowledge base on the impact and consequences of climate change, to mainstream adaptation into other key policy areas, to employ several policy instruments, including finance and guidelines to ensure effective delivery and to inject it into international negotiations. Enhancing the EU’s resilience to climate change also means investing in a low-carbon economy, promoting energy efficiency and the uptake of green products. A major step was taken in March with the launch of CLIMATEADAPT, a European climate adaptation platform. This brings together information on adaptation strategies and provides inspiration and tools for national, regional and local authorities to devise their own measures and strategies.
The diversity of the information is part of its strength, but there is a need to ensure that everyone can have access to it. Adaptation is basically local, as climate change impacts vary from region to region. It is also broad since the need to adapt to climate change is a challenge shared by most natural processes and human activities. Mainstreaming climate change is boosted in the multiannual financial framework for EU financing from 2014 to 2020. This means that policies such as energy, cohesion, transport, agriculture, public health and overseas aid will have to take climate change into account.
Adaptation and water The Climate Action DG is working with other Commission departments to identify qualitative and concrete measures to be put in place – work which will lead to a climate adaptation strategy in 2013. One focus area is water policy, and input on adaptation requirements is being fed into the Blueprint to safeguard Europe’s waters. Climate change and water will also feature at Green Week, providing an opportunity for exchanges of information on best practices, transboundary cooperation and other issues. Find out more http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/adaptation/index_en.htm
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RIO+20
Rio+20: European Union aiming high
‘As we all know, ambiguous and unfocused statements and agreements will not deliver.’ Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the Environment
The European Union has clearly set out its stall for the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012. Twenty years after the original Earth Summit in 1992, it is pressing for a transition to a green global economy, eradication of poverty and better governance.
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Emphasising the EU’s commitment after the key principles had been agreed, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said: ‘Europe has been pioneer of the sustainable development agenda. I think Europe should equally be at the forefront in setting the debate for Rio+20.’
Commissioners’ contributions The European Union has recently set out key working principles for the overall approach that it intends to pursue at, and in the run up to, the Rio conference. These were unanimously endorsed by all 27 Heads of State and Government at their European Council in Brussels in early March – their last scheduled meeting before Rio. First, the EU’s overall ambition is for the conference to move the world towards a green economy, which will promote environmental protection, help eradicate poverty and stimulate low carbon and resource-efficient growth. To turn those aspirations into reality, the Union would like to see Rio work on clear operational targets and concrete actions, both nationally and internationally, underpinned by agreed time frames. Institutionally, the EU supports moves to strengthen the global sustainable development framework, which would see the United Nations Environment Programme upgraded to the status of a specialised agency. Finally, the Union is urging the conference to advance the work on global goals, while taking account of the Millennium Development Goals and their review process.
Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik has been vigorously articulating the EU’s determination to pursue an ambitious outcome and has emphasised the need for preparatory meetings to focus on the concrete, not the abstract. ‘There is much to be done in the coming months to ensure a clear and common plan of action. As we all know, ambiguous and unfocused statements and agreements will not deliver,’ he said recently. Without governments committing themselves to tangible actions towards a greener economy, he has warned that it is the poorest in the world who will suffer most since they depend directly on water, land, seas, forests and soil. The Commissioner has also said that further work on Rio needs to be more precise and pursued with greater urgency. To date the ‘zero’ draft of the outcome document for Rio has been compiled from the various national contributions and forms the basis for wide ranging Rio negotiations. ‘It is not sufficient only to declare that we focus on economic activities in the area of water, forests or the oceans. We must be more specific and operational and also put in place the economic and market conditions that can make this happen and mobilise sufficient resources for this,’ he maintains. Commissioner
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Potočnik therefore welcomed the invitation of the Member States’ environment ministers on 9 March for the Commission to present proposals for clear operational targets and concrete actions. Therefore, to reinforce the move towards sustainability, the Commission is proposing goals and targets for Rio+20 in specific areas such as sustainable energy, water efficiency, stopping land degradation and loss of ecosystems, protecting oceans and reducing waste. These should be carefully designed and transparent so that progress made can be carefully monitored.
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Other Commissioners are also rallying around an ambitious agenda. Maria Damanaki, in charge of fisheries, considers Rio+20 to be in a strong position to tackle illegal fishing by committing to a catch certificate scheme and to help protect marine biodiversity. Her colleague, Andris Piebalgs, in charge of development policy, will also be making a strong input into the negotiations as the official co-leader together with Commissioner Potočnik.
Outlook After playing a key role in the success of the UN climate change conference in Durban last December, the Climate Action Commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, is looking for significant progress in the wider agenda facing the Rio participants. ‘We cannot afford Rio+20 not to deliver anything,’ she says. Agreement on access to sustainable energy, she points out, would be an important advance. ‘Then we can decipher this, define the target and then define the more specific sustainable development goals afterwards. There are things that are ready where we do not need more knowledge. It is just a question of political will,’ she explains. While the impact of climate change will be very present in the Rio negotiations, the EU firmly believes that the two processes should be compatible, but kept separate. In particular, climate action commitments already made should not be reopened for discussion, but should underpin the Rio+20 decisions.
Two decades ago the original Rio conference spawned, among other things, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biodiversity. That far-sighted legacy is still with us today and as Durban and Nagoya demonstrated, these are making crucial contributions to tackling climate change and biodiversity. EU participants, and many others, are pressing for equally ambitious agenda-setting decisions to be taken and clear targets and timetables agreed so that in 20 years’ time it will be possible to trace tangible improvements in sustainable development, eradicating poverty and better governance, back to June 2012.
Find out more www.uncsd2012.org
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WATER BLUEPRINT
A Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources Despite these efforts, human activities such as water abstraction, land drainage and dams have altered many river basins and waters and led to adverse ecological effects, casting doubt on the 2015 target being met. There are also other pressures. Climate change is projected to increase water shortages in southern Europe, while increasing the intensity and frequency of floods in other parts of the continent.
Elements of the tool kit The Blueprint will demonstrate the potential for preserving water resources and aquatic ecosystems, indicate how water availability could evolve and suggest tools to improve water allocation. Such tools could include water balances and accounts, methodologies to identify the minimum amount of water needed by ecosystems, and water efficiency targets.
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Water policy is the main environmental issue on the European Commission’s 2012 work programme. It is also the theme running through this year’s Green Week. To improve the quality and better manage the quantity of water in the Union, the Commission is preparing a Blueprint setting out a water policy agenda up to 2020. This will operate like a tool kit to help improve the implementation of water policy, mainstreaming it into other policy objectives and filling in possible gaps. In recent decades, the EU has put in place a comprehensive policy to ensure the quality of Europe’s water. Initially, this addressed health concerns. It was then followed by measures to address the impact on the environment of major water-using sectors such as agriculture, industry and domestic households. In 2000, when Member States started implementing the Water Framework Directive, this introduced an integrated approach based on river basin management plans with the aim of achieving good status of all EU waters by 2015. The plans are expected to address all pressures on water through measures developed in consultation with citizens and economic actors.
Demand management is a key challenge. Back in 2007, the Commission advised that priority in water management should be given to savings, efficiency measures and an effective pricing policy. In addition to pricing, various techniques can be used to improve water efficiency in agriculture. These range from changing crop patterns and planting dates to improved irrigation systems. In residential buildings, the average individual in the EU uses 170 litres of water per day, with significant differences between Member States. Improved water efficiency could bring savings of up to 10 %. This is important for water scarce areas and would bring considerable energy savings since heating water constitutes 15 to 30 % of household energy consumption. In distribution networks, there is major potential to improve efficiency by reducing leakages that in some cases reach 50 %. Another key challenge relates to land use and agricultural practices that threaten water quality and quantity. Reliance on natural water retention measures such as floodplains and wetlands, restoration of riparian areas and the re-meandering of rivers could go a long way to address these problems. Good governance is important, as river basin management cuts across many government departments and authorities, often in several countries. This is necessary to ensure effective coordination and information flows and meaningful public participation.
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Improved knowledge sharing will enable information on water quality and quantity to be effectively communicated through the Water Information System for Europe (WISE), a data platform that could benefit from increased interoperability of its various sources of information.
The way ahead The Blueprint will present policy proposals and recommendations that should set the EU water agenda for the years to come, in particular under the Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) of the Water Framework Directive. This is a cooperative process that involves stakeholders, EU Member States, candidate countries and countries from the European Economic Area. The CIS establishes a work programme and issues guidance documents that national authorities are expected to follow in their river management plans. This will enable the contents of the Blueprint to be introduced gradually into a concrete implementation strategy.
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The Blueprint aims to improve implementation of existing water policy, to integrate water considerations into other policy areas and indicate where further measures may be necessary for water efficiency and adaptation to climate change. Given its timeframe and objective, the Blueprint is closely related to the EU’s wider 2020 strategy and to the Resource Efficiency Roadmap.
Attention is also being given to overcoming barriers to innovation in water resource management. In April 2011, a European Innovation Partnership on water was launched as part of the Commission’s Innovation Union flagship initiative. This brings together national authorities, private companies and stakeholders to apply the results of research to tackling water challenges. Its work in developing innovative solutions will complement the Blueprint and feed into a strategic plan to be ready by the end of the year. Find out more http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/blueprint/index_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/innovationpartnership/ index_en.htm
In residential buildings, the average individual in the EU uses 170 litres of water per day. Š Shutterstock
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SHIP RECYCLING
Raising ship recycling standards The Hong Kong Convention, adopted in May 2009, sets out rules to ensure that ships are recycled in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. Drawing on the provisions of the Convention, the Commission has proposed legislation defining standards that owners of commercial EU-flagged ships will have to respect when vessels come to the end of their lives. Ships have a normal life span of around 30 years before they are sent for recycling. The numbers involved are impressive. In 2009, some 200 EU-flagged ships with a total volume of about two million gross tonnes were recycled. Almost 90 % of these vessels were recycled in Asia, notably India, China, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Recycling is dangerous, both for workers carrying out the task and for the environment as large amounts of materials such as asbestos, heavy metals, mercury and oil are stripped from the vessels and disposed of. Under existing legislation, EU ships should only be recycled in OECD countries, but far too few facilities are technically and economically equipped to handle current dismantling volume and it is relatively easy for owners to circumvent legislation on waste disposal since this is not adapted to the specificities of ships.
New recycling legislation To resolve the situation, the European Commission has presented legislation dealing with the whole life cycle of large commercial EU-flagged ships. It implements key documentation requirements of the Hong Kong Convention, such as the need to establish and maintain inventories of hazardous materials on the vessel. The new regulation stipulates that the recycling yards to which EU ships are sent must respect technical standards based on the Hong Kong Convention. These include the use of a trained workforce and environmentally friendly ways of removing dangerous materials. In turn, the possibility for EU ships to be legally recycled worldwide, not just in OECD countries, is opened. Some requirements are more stringent than the Hong Kong Convention. For example, facilities have to ensure access for emergency response equipment, demonstrate control of any leakage of hazardous waste and materials and ensure full traceability and proper treatment of all waste, or they will not be allowed to recycle EU ships. This new EU legislation goes hand in hand with current trends in the Asian countries where ship recycling takes place. China closed its substandard facilities some years ago. Improvements are occurring elsewhere, notably in India and Bangladesh, as pressure from domestic courts and NGOs raises safety and environmental standards. Find out more http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/ships/index.htm
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ACCESS TO JUSTICE
Ensuring access to justice The extent to which the public can take an environmental issue to court is unclear. The basic right of access to justice is enshrined in the United Nations Aarhus Convention and some specific areas of EU environmental law, but the principle is not always applied in practice. The Commission is seeking to clarify the issue. Adopted in 1998 and ratified by the EU in 2005, the Aarhus Convention establishes rights for individuals and associations, including the right to receive environmental information held by public authorities and to participate in environmental decision making. If it is felt either of the two conditions, or environmental law in general, has not been respected, a third right allows a public decision to be challenged. While the sequence leading to the courts under the Convention is generally clear, it is less evident when European environmental legislation contains no specific provision for access to justice. In 2003, the Commission presented a proposal for a directive to provide access to justice if national authorities were believed not to be respecting environmental rights. This has still not reached the statute book. Meanwhile, the wider context has changed. In a case involving hunting brown bears in Slovakia, the Court of Justice of the European Union was asked if a NGO could challenge a decision on the basis of the Aarhus Convention. The Court concluded that access to justice should be ensured and national authorities should provide NGOs with as much access as possible. The Lisbon Treaty codifies the principle of effective legal protection and gives a higher legal value to the Charter of Fundamental Rights including its access to justice provisions. But the situation remains unclear. It is easier for environmental groups to access the courts in some countries than others. This creates uncertainty for national judicial systems, for economic interests and for anyone challenging the environmental impact of decisions by private or public bodies.
Seeking clarity Possible solutions include minor updates to the proposed directive, soft law guidance on recent jurisprudence, or legal action against Member States considered not to be correctly implementing the Aarhus Convention. A more realistic approach could be a more in-depth revision of the draft directive to take account of recent jurisprudence and clarify the rights of NGOs and individuals to go to court. This would reflect the need to ensure that legal action would not be too costly or lengthy and allow for interim injunctions. Mediation and conflict-resolution are also being considered. Find out more http://ec.europa.eu/environment/aarhus/index.htm http://ec.europa.eu/environment/legal/law/com_improving.htm
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IMPLEMENTATION
Implementing environment legislation Legislation on the statute book counts for little if it is not properly implemented and enforced. The EU has agreed an array of environment measures over the past 40 years, but the way these are applied can be patchy. To remedy this, the Commission is proposing to help Member States improve their implementation record.
To tackle this challenge the Commission has proposed ways to help Member States with effective implementation. It identified two themes: the need for better knowledge of the state of the environment and appropriate responsiveness in the ways problems are dealt with (see also separate article on access to justice).
Improving the knowledge base Since the 1970s, the EU has agreed some 200 pieces of legislation to protect our environment. These range from waste water treatment and nature protection to measures to improve air quality and ensure the public’s right to information. With the exception of soil, the EU’s environment is well covered by legislation. The challenge now is not so much to devise new legislation, but rather to implement effectively what has been agreed. These measures are popular with Europe’s citizens. Recent polls have found that individuals consider a healthy environment to be as important to their quality of life as the state of the economy and social factors. Failure to implement legislation in a timely and correct manner can have many adverse consequences. The environment and human health can be harmed. Industry is confronted with regulatory uncertainty. Agreed standards are applied unevenly across the Union. The cost of not implementing existing environmental legislation is estimated at some EUR 50 billion a year. Proper implementation can bring financial benefits. It is calculated that if EU waste legislation is fully implemented it would generate 400 000 jobs and involve annual net costs EUR 72 billion lower than in a non-implementation scenario.
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More complete information is needed on the way Member States deliver their EU commitments in practice. The Commission believes there is considerable scope for improving the organisation and dissemination of information by using the new technological and e-Government tools available. It is recommending close collaboration nationally between different professional groups such as environmental scientists, statisticians, ICT experts and administrators to provide information that is scientifically and legally robust and meaningful to the general public, experts and policy makers. Member States are being encouraged to develop structured implementation and information frameworks (SIIFs) for all key EU environment legislation. These would identify the type of easily accessible information needed to demonstrate the legislation is being properly implemented. These frameworks would form part of a wider effort to establish effective environmental information systems under SEIS (Shared Environmental Information System), a rolling Commission initiative launched in 2008. A possible model is the Commission’s annual bathing water quality report covering over 21 000 locations in Europe. An Internet site allows users to download data and check interactive maps down to the level of individual beaches. The European Environment Agency is now doing pilot exercises on air quality and waste. Thought is also being given to using satellites and earth observation techniques to monitor implementation on the ground.
If EU waste legislation is fully implemented it would generate 400 000 jobs and involve annual net costs EUR 72 billion lower than in a non-implementation scenario.
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A possible model is the Commission’s annual bathing water quality report covering over 21 000 locations in Europe.
Responsiveness Implementing environmental legislation is complex. Many different tasks are undertaken by groups such as national inspectors, prosecutors, courts, auditors, NGOs and ordinary citizens exercising their participatory rights. While minimum inspection criteria exist for industrial facilities, these are less developed for activities that impact on the environment such as groundwater abstraction and trade in protected species. This could be addressed by extending criteria used to undertake inspections and surveillance. One particular gap is the absence of any general framework for the response by national authorities to demands they intervene in a particular situation or to complaints of administrative inaction or inadequacy. Although the right to bring environmental complaints to the Commission exists, it considers improvements could be put in place nationally. This could be achieved through agreed criteria on the procedures to be followed and the possibility for a complainant, if dissatisfied with the response received, to be able to refer the matter to an independent national review body, such as an ombudsman.
The Commission sees great benefits in the use of networks that bring together, nationally and at European level, people with a professional role in implementation, such as administrators, environmental lawyers, inspectors, prosecutors, judges and environment agencies. Despite several initiatives, there is a strong feeling the full potential of networks has yet to be reached.
Outlook The ideas are contained in the communication the Commission issued in March, Improving the delivery of benefits from EU environmental measures: building confidence through better knowledge and responsiveness. They are intended to ensure sufficient underpinning of legislation agreed at European level and to provide Member States with better implementation tools. After various EU institutions and other interested parties have given their views on the package, the results of that consultation will be fed into the 7th Environmental Action Programme.
Find out more http://ec.europa.eu/environment/legal/law/com_improving.htm
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LULUCF
Agriculture and forestry contributions to climate action Emissions and removals of greenhouse gases from agricultural and forestry activities are not part of the EU’s climate change commitments, although both sectors have the potential to make a contribution. The Commission has proposed ways of measuring and monitoring them, opening the way to possible inclusion in the future. Under the Kyoto Protocol, the EU is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 % below 1990 levels by 2020. The contributions of the agricultural and forestry sectors, known as land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF), do not feature in the EU target. Member States have varying definitions and methodological approaches to forest and land use, complicating efforts to verify and compare data. Both sectors can also be affected by events such as floods and drought, making them harder to measure than fixed installations such as power plants. The role of LULUCF activities in removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and reducing emissions has long been recognised. At the EU level, they offset just below 10 % of greenhouse gas emissions, with significant differences between countries.
Under Kyoto, accounting is mandatory for emissions and removals related to afforestation, reforestation and deforestation. It is voluntary for revegetation, and the management of forests, croplands and grazing land.
Expanding accounting requirements The Durban conference in December 2011 advanced debate on LULUCF, making it mandatory to account for emissions and removals from standing forests, with a voluntary requirement for other land use activities. The Commission, which had been asked by EU governments and Parliament to examine ways of including LULUCF emissions and removals in the reduction commitment, has taken the Durban agreement further, proposing legislation that requires Member States to prepare action plans that give visibility to the climate contributions from agriculture and forestry. Some countries already do such accounting. As they are relatively new categories, the inclusion of wetlands and revegetation is voluntary. The proposal, once approved by EU governments and the Parliament, could come into force in January 2013, and should give a sound legal base to the Durban commitment. It also aims to set out the rules and a solid foundation for measuring and monitoring the different contributions. It leaves open the debate whether LULUCF emissions and removals should be counted towards, or added to, the EU’s 20 % target. That debate will only take place once the new accounting system is sufficiently accurate and robust. Find out more http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/forests/lulucf/index_en.htm
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The role of LULUCF activities in removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and reducing emissions has long been recognised.
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INSPIRE
Creating an environmental electronic data network European legislation requires national authorities provide a vast amount of data to implement, monitor and report on the implementation of policies and changes in the environment. However, not all are comparable or easily accessible. INSPIRE – Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe – is overcoming some of these hurdles.
Initially, standards addressed areas such as transport networks, land registers and protected sites. By the end of the year, the standards will be almost complete, covering services and complex subjects ranging from sea regions to atmospheric conditions and species distribution. Member States then have two years to put newly collected data into the required form and until 2019 to transform existing data into the agreed format.
INSPIRE makes available electronic data held by public authorities for producing information on the environment. These data – covering inter alia, air and water quality, land use, waste, biodiversity, industrial facilities – are known as spatial data as they relate to an area or location. For example, the number of a species observed in a protected site or the emissions measured by an air quality monitoring station are all spatial data.
Finding and accessing the data can be done through the INSPIRE geoportal which began operating in mid-2011.
Adopted in 2007, INSPIRE embodies the principle that Member States must document and share this data and allow public bodies, and others, to access, view and retrieve it without obstacles. Timetables are set for Member States to ensure the compatibility of the information describing spatial data and the way in which the data are structured. Member States must also implement electronic services to discover, view and retrieve the data. This involves agreeing standards for data and services across the European Union.
Offering new opportunities INSPIRE improves the information used to create environmental policies by facilitating data sharing between public authorities, citizens, the private sector and the research community, even across borders. It also simplifies the administrative burden of national reporting to the EU. A building block for many other policies, INSPIRE is a key component of e-Government, creating links between governments, businesses and the public, and allowing many synergies with the EU’s Digital Agenda. INSPIRE makes it easier to chart environmental risks such as floods, the impact of air quality on human health and the effects of climate change. Other uses will emerge as the system becomes more widespread. Find out more http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/
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LIFE
In situ precipitation technique for cleaner groundwater Non-ferrous metal production and use is responsible for much soil contamination in Europe. Often, this has led to groundwater pollution by metals such as zinc, cadmium, cobalt and nickel. A cost-effective and ecological clean up of contaminated sites is important to protect groundwater and receiving river basins, thus ensuring implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The best available technique for cleaning groundwater contaminated with these metals has been to pump and treat it in a wastewater treatment plant. But this process, known as ‘pump and treat’, is expensive and often fails to meet environmental standards. It also adversely impacts on the local groundwater balance, and the process involves the use of hazardous chemicals and produces metal-containing waste sludge. A Belgian LIFE project (LIFE05 ENV/B/000517) provides a cleaner alternative. The INSIMEP – ‘In Situ Metal Precipitation for remediation of groundwater contaminated with non-ferrous
metals’ – method is suitable for a range of sites. It requires no hazardous chemicals since it is based on stimulating the activity of natural sulfate reducing bacteria, produces no solid waste, and final metal concentrations in groundwater are lower. In Flanders, over 5 000 sites are contaminated with nonferrous metals. The project chose sites with different hydrogeological conditions and metal pollution: the production facilities in Balen and Olen of Umicore, a metal and materials company and the project beneficiary.
Economic and environmental benefits The project achieved impressive results. In situ precipitation resulted in zinc levels below 0.5 mg/l, nickel below 0.04 mg/l, cadmium below 0.005 mg/l and in most cases cobalt below 0.1 mg/l. At one site the project also managed to stabilise zinc and cadmium precipitates. At the second site just 2 % of immobilised cobalt was released into groundwater. A further environmental benefit is reduced energy use. Though initial costs for the in situ method are higher, the project demonstrated long-term economic feasibility. With operating costs 40 % lower than traditional ‘pump and treat’, savings are possible after 10 years. Umicore is moving towards large-scale application of the method at its Zolder site. As well as making a significant contribution towards the WFD, the project is fulfilling the requirements of the Groundwater Directive. By preventing the further spread of contamination, it is also helping meet the goals of the Integrated Pollution and Prevention Control Directive. For information about LIFE and to subscribe to LIFEnews http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/subscribenewsletter/ index.html
© LIFE05 ENV/B/000517
The LIFE INSIMEP project demonstrated a cleaner process of treating groundwater contaminated with non-ferrous metals.
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NEW PUBLICATIONS
EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 Biodiversity loss is one of the main environmental challenges facing the planet. In 2011, the European Commission adopted a strategy to reverse this trend and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020 and to restore them as far as feasible. The initiative aims to ensure that our natural capital is managed in a sustainable manner for future generations. Two publications explain the measures being taken. The first, EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020, is a four-page factsheet setting out the six targets that have been agreed and the actions which support them. The second is an attractively illustrated 28-page publication demonstrating how biodiversity policies can be integrated into wider policy concerns such as fisheries, agriculture and forestry. Both are currently available in English (other language versions to follow). To download or order, visit: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/info/pubs/ biodiversity_en.htm
AGENDA
Green Week 22-25 May 2012, Brussels The theme of the 12th edition of this annual high-profile event will be water. Over 40 sessions will focus on this valuable natural resource to ensure enough exists for the many uses to which it is put. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ greenweek/
European Business Awards for the Environment 23 May 2012, Brussels The awards reward and promote companies that have successfully combined innovation, financial viability and environmental concerns. Small and medium-sized enterprises are a particular focus of the competition. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/awards/ whats_new.html?panel=3
Natura 2000 Newsletter, No 31, January 2012 2012 is an important year for the Natura 2000 network. It is the 20th anniversary of the Habitats Directive and the LIFE fund and the year important decisions will be taken on EU expenditure between 2014 and 2020. These will have a major impact on financing of the network at a crucial stage in its development and on the successor to the current LIFE+ programme. These and other issues, including the Natura 2000 Barometer are explored over 16 pages. Available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Polish. To download or order, visit: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/info/pubs/ natura2000nl_en.htm
3rd European Water Conference 24-25 May 2012, Brussels The conference takes place in the framework of Green Week and will contribute to the preparation of the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources. http://www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/ events/2012/05/3rd-european-waterconference
Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 20-22 June 2012, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The objective of the conference is to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess the progress to date and address new and emerging challenges. http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/
Unless otherwise stated, publications are available free of charge from the EU Bookshop at http://bookshop.europa.eu
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IN BRIEF
Soil Thematic Strategy and future perspectives
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Two new European Commission reports – one dealing with policy, the other with science – highlight the need for urgent action to prevent the continued deterioration of Europe’s soils. Erosion, soil sealing and acidification have all increased in the past decade. The trend is likely to continue unless the challenges of rising land-use, inefficient use of natural resources and preservation of organic matter in soil are addressed. Soil degradation affects Europe’s capacity to produce food, prevent droughts and flooding, stop biodiversity loss and tackle climate change. The Commission is hoping the reports’ worrying findings will increase support for its legislative proposal for EU measures to protect Europe’s soil. Policy report: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/three_en.htm Scientific report: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/index.cfm?id=2540
Classification and Labelling (C&L) Inventory
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The European Chemicals Agency has helped to strengthen the safe use of hazardous chemicals with publication of the first EU Classification and Labelling Inventory. This lists over 100 000 chemical substances used in the EU, making it possible to identify those that are potentially hazardous and could damage human health and the environment. The inventory provides industry, especially small companies, with easy access to information on the degree of hazardousness of a given substance, facilitating the task of correctly classifying and labelling substances and mixtures and of substituting less damaging alternatives when possible. The information was compiled from over three million notifications submitted by chemical manufacturers and importers. http://echa.europa.eu/web/guest/regulations/clp/cl-inventory
Tackling chemical pollution The European Commission has proposed to add 15 chemicals to the list of 33 pollutants that are regularly monitored and controlled in EU surface waters. The new forms of pollution identified include industrial chemicals and substances used in biocides, pharmaceuticals and plant protection products. The move is part of ongoing efforts to ensure the quality of Europe’s rivers, lakes and coastal waters and will involve updating the directive on priority substances in the field of water quality. The initiative is the result of a review into the risks posed by some 2 000 substances. Under the proposal, emissions into water of six of the 15 new priority substances would need to be phased out within 20 years. © Shutterstock
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-dangersub/pri_substances.htm
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