Ambiente para os europeus setembro de 2012 en by Planeta Terra

SEPTEMBER 2012

No 48

Environment for Europeans Magazine of the Directorate-General for the Environment

Long Live LIFE! Environment

EDITORIAL

Environment for Europeans ec.europa.eu/environment/news/efe/index.htm

Celebrating LIFE In the late 1980s, it was a dream shared by a small band of environmentalists. Now it is the financial cornerstone and visible face of the EU’s support for environmental projects across the Union and further afield. Over the past two decades, LIFE, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, has steadily built up an impressive record. It has co-financed 3 685 projects to the tune of EUR 2.8 billion from the EU budget. Its confidence in, and support for, those initiatives has leveraged a further EUR 3.8 billion for a multitude of schemes to improve the environment and communicate those achievements to a wider audience.

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

One of the most successful strands of the EU’s financial assistance is LIFE nature. It underpins the Habitats Directive, which is also marking its 20th birthday. That support has helped to create Natura 2000, the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world which plays a valuable role in stemming biodiversity loss in Europe.

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

LIFE has made another major contribution to the development of the Union’s environmental policy. It has demonstrated in practical terms how implementing legislation agreed by EU institutions, usually in Brussels, can bring tangible dividends for local communities across the continent.

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.

A key factor in the success of LIFE co-funded projects, as ‘The Voices of LIFE’ special publication demonstrates, has been the imagination, energy and commitment of the thousands of people on the ground. Together, with the close help of DG Environment officials, they initiate, implement and follow through their particular initiatives. That cooperation, and co-financing for specific projects, will continue. Moreover, as LIFE, after 2013, enters a new phase in its development, its influence is set to increase. LIFE’s experience and pedigree will be used to further integrate environmental considerations into other policy areas and leverage more extensive funding for green initiatives.

CONTENTS

03 04 06 08 10 12 13 14 15 16

Developing a new clean air package LIFE reaches 20 and prepares to move ahead Habitats Directive: Conserving Europe’s biodiversity Quality of European bathing water continues to improve Doing more with less New guidelines to reduce soil sealing New rules for biocidal products Using financial instruments to reduce waste New publications / Agenda In brief

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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AIR QUALITY

Developing a new clean air package The Commission began a comprehensive review of the EU’s air quality policies last year to update existing legislation and take account of the latest science and cost-effective measures. After widespread consultation and analysis, this will lead to the presentation of a new EU Clean Air package before the end of 2013. EU air policy has a long history, and over the past 20 years has successfully reduced the levels of a number of pollutants. Lead emissions, for example, have fallen by some 90 % and sulphur dioxide emissions by over 80 %. Despite these achievements, the Union has a long way to go to meet the target set out in the 6th Environment Action Programme of securing ‘levels of air quality that do not give rise to significant negative impacts on and risks to human health and the environment’. Union-wide air quality standards for particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ground-level ozone are exceeded in many urban areas, largely due to insufficient action to curb transport volumes and improve vehicle emission performance. The European Environment Agency estimates that over the past decade, 20-50 % of the urban population in Europe was exposed to particulate matter (PM10) concentrations in excess of the EU daily limit values and 500 000 premature deaths are associated with this air pollution. Not surprisingly, 36 % of citizens list air pollution as one of their five main environmental concerns.

36 % of citizens list air pollution as one of their five main environmental concerns

New review Against this background, the Commission agreed in January 2011 on the need for a renewed and comprehensive air quality policy. This acknowledges that short and long-term measures to tackle air pollution go beyond environmental policies. They require effective action in other areas such as transport, energy and agriculture. The review is designed to reinforce the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. It covers the 2005 Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution, which provided a comprehensive policy framework up to 2020, and it includes the air quality legislation setting limit and target values for the major pollutants, which the majority of Member States are failing to meet, with legal repercussions. Particular attention is being paid to the National Emissions Ceiling Directive, which sets cost-effective national ceilings for pollutants that travel long distances. Any amendment will

take account of the agreement in May 2012 to update the Gothenburg Protocol with tighter ceilings for 2020, and will examine further ambitious targets to reduce trans-boundary air pollution. The Commission has already held a public online consultation, established a stakeholder group, organised workshops and is in close contact with different international organisations. In addition to a revised Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution and an updated National Emissions Ceiling Directive, the outcome late next year could lead to further legislative proposals and to accompanying ‘soft’ measures. Find out more http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/review_air_policy.htm

LIFE

LIFE reaches 20 and prepares to move ahead LIFE – the EU’s main source of co-financing environmental projects and programmes within the Union and further afield – celebrates its 20th birthday this year. As it commemorates this landmark, highlighting the people and projects that have contributed to its success, it is already looking to the future. Just two decades ago, LIFE began its fledgling existence by helping, with limited finances, to establish an embryonic Natura 2000 network in the then 12 EU Member States. Since that time it has expanded its activities and operations throughout the 27-member Union, strengthening its focus on nature conservation and environmental protection and tackling challenges such as biodiversity decline, habitat loss, resource efficiency and climate action.

3 685 projects Total investment: EUR 3.8 billion LIFE contribution: EUR 2.8 billion

Through practical actions, innovation and the spread of best practice, LIFE projects have been a positive force for change in the way policy makers, stakeholders and the public think and act on the environment. LIFE Environment Policy and Governance, one of the main components of the funding programme, helps finance innovative or pilot projects that develop new environmental technologies and methods. Over the past 20 years, in the EU it has assisted 1 940 projects to the tune of EUR 1.2 billion, and a further 230 projects in neighbouring countries outside the Union. A large number of these projects have been in the water and waste sectors, supporting implementation of EU policies in these areas.

Birth and christening Former Dutch MEP Hemmo Muntingh is widely considered to be LIFE’s ‘father’. Director of the Dutch Society for the Preservation of the Wadden Sea before entering the European Parliament, he used the EU’s annual budget procedure to propose financing for an Environment Fund. EU governments killed off his initial attempt in 1989, but he was successful the following year when a modest EUR 31 million was allocated to the new policy. The name LIFE comes from its French acronym: L’Instrument financier pour l’environnement (Financial Instrument for the Environment). It was coined by French MEP Alain Lamassoure, who prepared the Parliament’s position during the 1990 budget negotiations and played a major role in establishing the programme.

Other LIFE Environment projects aim to reduce the impact of goods and services on the environment, to encourage the design of eco-products, to promote resource efficiency and to improve the urban environment and quality of life. Now a widespread phenomenon across Europe, the concept of carfree days first originated in a LIFE project run in France. LIFE has helped demonstrate many diverse and innovative approaches to tackling climate change, supporting the development of specific mitigation and adaptation measures which are aiding the EU to meet its overall goal of a 20 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. A similarly important contribution has been made by LIFE Nature and Biodiversity, where 1 256 projects have been cofinanced with EUR 1.2 billion (see separate article in this issue). Another set of projects, LIFE Information and Communication,

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‘Best of the Best’ photograph. Submitted by the Comacchio project in Italy’s Regione Emilia-Romagna. Photographer: Adriano De Faveri.

focus on information dissemination and raising awareness on environmental issues.

Working together One of the key factors in the success of LIFE projects is the close partnership between the different participants on the ground – coordinators, team members and local activists and politicians – and Commission officials. The programme does not simply involve the disbursement of money, but also practical assistance during the project and beyond. The well-developed support process involves close examination of the original proposal, adapting it if necessary, and providing help and guidance to ensure not only that the projects’ objectives are fully achieved but also that the EU’s strict financial rules are respected. Progress is carefully monitored and projects are visited and evaluated annually. Even when the EU funding comes to an end, Commission interest in a project remains. It provides advice on how the initiative can continue and where alternative finance might be found. It also visits a sample of projects three to five years after its direct involvement has ended to determine the lasting improvements that have been made. That close contact and personal touch is graphically illustrated in ‘The Voices of LIFE: 20 years of getting things done’, a special publication produced for the 20th anniversary, with individual testimonies from scores of people involved with projects on the ground.

The anniversary landmark was also acknowledged by over 300 events during May – the original legislation became law on 21 May 1992 – organised by past and present LIFE projects. Two special competitions were organised to find the best project photographs and texts. In addition, a ‘LIFE at 20’ toolkit was produced to help everyone involved in LIFE projects to promote their individual initiatives and the current programme, which runs until 2013. Find out more http://life20.eu/ http://ec.europa.eu/life

Next steps Negotiations are now taking place between the main EU institutions on the next phase of LIFE’s development from 2014 onwards, as it continues to help implement EU environmental legislation and disseminate the lessons learnt from the many projects it funds. While the programme’s traditional activities will continue, special emphasis will be placed on a more holistic, integrated approach in the areas of nature conservation, water, waste, air and climate adaptation and mitigation. These new ‘integrated’ projects will have a more comprehensive impact, and will be notable for the manner in which they leverage sources of finance from other EU Funds.

NATURA 2000

Habitats Directive: Conserving Europe’s biodiversity

Twenty years after it came into force, the Habitats Directive has created the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world. Together with the LIFE Nature programme, as they both celebrate reaching this auspicious milestone, they can take credit for helping to stem the loss of many of Europe’s valuable biodiversity assets and assisting some species and habitats to recover. The Habitats Directive is the most ambitious initiative ever undertaken to conserve Europe’s biodiversity. EU governments adopted the legislation in 1992 out of increasing concern that indifference and neglect were damaging this precious resource. Along with the Birds Directive, it sets the standards and framework for nature conservation throughout the Union without being hampered by political and administrative borders. The Directive protects over 1 000 species and some 230 valuable habitat types, such as sand dunes, heathlands and floodplain forests, deemed to be of strong European importance, which act as building blocks for ecosystems. Protecting sites for biodiversity with statutory nature reserves has been practised since the early 20th century. But it was

only with the creation of Natura 2000 that site designation was on a sufficient scale to stem the loss of biodiversity.

Natura 2000 A central feature of the legislation is Natura 2000, a panEuropean ecological network of protected sites designed to protect species and habitats in their natural environment throughout the Union. Consisting of over 26 000 sites, the network is now virtually complete and covers almost 18 % of EU territory – an area equivalent in size to Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic combined. Once sites have been designated, Member States decide how best to manage them so that they are not just maintained, but are restored to their best possible condition. That requires a collective effort involving public authorities, landowners and users as well as NGOs, experts and the general public. Far from artificially wrapping sites in cotton wool, Natura 2000 represents an inclusive approach, placing people at the heart of the process, alongside nature. Socio-economic activities are encouraged provided they contribute to the overall goals of sustainable development and integrated management.

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Natura 2000’s very size conserves not only Europe’s rarest wildlife and flagship species such as mammals or birds, but also offers a safe haven for other more common animals and plants. It nurtures healthy ecosystems which provide valuable services such as fresh water, carbon storage and protection against floods and coastal erosion. Collectively, these various ecosystem services are estimated to be worth EUR 200-300 billion per year – significantly more than the cost of managing the network. Recreation and tourism benefits alone from Natura 2000 sites generate annual income of between EUR 5 and EUR 9 billion per year.

Rich diversity of projects EU co-financing for the many activities carried out under the Habitats Directive has come from the Nature and Biodiversity arm of the LIFE programme. Over the past 20 years, it has supported 1 256 projects by providing EUR 1.2 billion and leveraging a similar amount in public and private contributions. The Natura 2000 network has benefited considerably from this financial support. It has helped restore 320 000 hectares of valuable habitats across Europe and funded over 1 500 management plans for Natura 2000 sites. In addition, one-third of the Life Nature and Biodiversity budget has been used to purchase 200 000 hectares for habitat and species conservation. The habitats most targeted by LIFE nature projects include alluvial forests, grasslands and wetlands, and their conservation status has been significantly improving in the corresponding Natura 2000 sites. LIFE has also helped to set up

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10 major Habitat achievements 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Protected nature conservation areas have more than tripled Better knowledge of biodiversity Local stakeholders help manage Natura 2000 sites Coordinated efforts to conserve Europe’s rich natural heritage Time-honoured land management practices maintained Endangered species saved from extinction Destruction of valuable wildlife habitats halted New opportunities for recreation and tourism New development must respect Natura 2000 sites Big increase in funding for nature conservation.

long-term management solutions for these habitats, for example by financing their management plans and relevant equipment and developing best practice. Species which have benefited from the funding include the brown bear, freshwater fish and the fire-bellied toad. In Spain the number of Iberian lynx rose from 160 to 230 over a 10 year period. Other projects have helped the recovery of freshwater pearl mussels, the Abruzzo chamois, Hungarian meadow viper and Spanish imperial eagle among others.

Celebrating achievements Alongside various national activities, a series of high-profile events has been held in recent months to celebrate the Habitats Directive and Natura 2000 network. They were launched in Jutland in northern Denmark by Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik and Danish Environment Minister Ida Auken and continued over the summer in Poland, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Spain. This October the 2012 EUROPARC conference will take place in the Kempen and Maasland Regional Landscape in Genk (Belgium) with the theme of celebrating the Habitats Directive and LIFE and reconnecting society with biodiversity. However, despite the habitat legislation’s ability to turn the tide of biodiversity loss, its ultimate objective of bringing all protected species and habitats up to favourable conservation status will still require much work. Currently just 17 % of those covered by the Directive enjoy that status.

Find out more http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000 http://ec.europa.eu/life

BATHING WATER REPORT

Quality of European bathing water continues to improve People wishing to swim at the seaside or in the European Union’s inland rivers and lakes can be assured that over 90 % of the waters meet minimum quality standards, according to the latest assessment by the European Environment Agency and the European Commission. The 2011 European bathing water quality report provides the most up-to-date picture of the state of health of over 22 000 swimming sites in the 27 EU Member States and three neighbouring countries – Croatia, Montenegro and Switzerland.

When assessing the quality of the waters, laboratories analyse levels of certain types of bacteria which may indicate the presence of pollution, mainly from sewage or livestock waste. Appearing during the European Year of Water, the report confirms that the overall quality of bathing waters in the EU has improved markedly since 1990. In that year, 9.2 % of coastal sites and 11.9 % of inland bathing areas did not comply with the legislation in place. By last year, those figures had fallen to 1.5 % and 2.4 % respectively.

Informing the public The new report confirms that 77.1 % of the sites were of excellent quality – the highest ranking – and complied with the most stringent guide values. This represented a 3.5 % increase on the previous year. Overall, 92.1 % met the minimum water quality standards set by EU legislation. Only 1.8 % of the waters were found to be non-compliant, in a year that saw 207 bathing sites banned or closed. Standards were particularly high for coastal waters, where 80.1 % met the toughest norms and 93.1 % satisfied the mandatory values. Cyprus, Croatia, Malta and Greece had the cleanest beaches. In each case, over 90 % of their bathing sites were classified as excellent.

Anyone wishing to check out the status of the water where they are planning to go swimming now has access to more information than ever before. In addition to the annual report, various online tools provide data on a selected country or region and make possible comparisons with previous years. The bathing water section of the Water Information System for Europe (WISE), which can be consulted on the European Environment Agency’s bathing water website, provides details of water quality in the 22 000 coastal beaches and inland

The Netherlands, Bulgaria, Latvia, Luxembourg and Belgium had relatively low proportions of sites meeting the strict guide values. This was especially true for rivers and lakes.

One of the more high profile bathing sites assessed in the report is the Serpentine Lake in London’s Hyde Park. The venue for several events watched by millions in this summer’s Olympics, its water quality has complied with mandatory values for the past five years

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sites across Europe. Viewers can either use an interactive map or download data for the area in which they are directly interested.

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State of bathing waters WISE – Water Information System for Europe

Another comprehensive source of information is the Eye on Earth – Water Watch application, which can be used to zoom in on a section of the coast, riverbank or lake in either street map or bird’s eye format. This application contains traffic light indicators (red, amber, green) of the bathing water quality alongside the ratings of people who have visited the site, including comments added by users. During 2012, the application is being updated to provide information on current water quality results.

Looking ahead In providing information for the present report, three countries (the Czech Republic, Romania and the United Kingdom) used the criteria and procedures under the original 1975 legislation, 11 did so under the transitional arrangements in place and 16 applied the new rules. By the end of 2012, all Member States will have to deploy the new monitoring system introduced by the revised bathing water legislation, ensuring consistency of assessment throughout the Union. The new requirements are designed to simplify management and surveillance methods. They classify bathing water quality into four distinct categories – excellent, good, sufficient and

z Coastal and transitional bathing waters z River bathing waters z Lake bathing waters

poor – on the basis of three- or four-year trends, instead of just one year under the original legislation. This reduces the risks of distortion from exceptionally bad weather or one-off incidents of pollution. They also provide for better and earlier public information about bathing water quality and require authorities to draw up bathing water profiles which can be useful for potential swimmers, and helpful management tools to ensure the highest possible quality. Find out more http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/water/status-andmonitoring/state-of-bathing-water http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/explore-interactivemaps/eye-on-earth

RESOURCE EFFICIENCY

Doing more with less The Commission has assembled a high-level panel of national, European and international policy makers, industrialists and experts to help turn the vision and goals of its Europe 2020 Roadmap to a ResourceEfficient Europe into reality. The group held its inaugural meeting shortly before the summer break. It is expected to present its first concrete recommendations in mid-2013 and its final proposals for action a year later. Janez Potočnik makes no secret of the fact that resource efficiency – one of the flagship initiatives of the Europe 2020 Strategy – is his guiding priority as Environment Commissioner. The Strategy abolishes the traditional division between the economy and the environment and brings the two policies together more closely than ever. With increasing resource constraints and rising prices, he emphasises that a paradigm change in economic thinking and behaviour is inevitable. The only question is when. ‘Our choice is whether to start to transform our economies now, to develop greener sources of growth and jobs and improve our resource productivity, or to react when we are forced to by collapses, resources shortages and price hikes,’ he said at the launch of the platform. Chaired by former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton, the 34-strong high-level group’s challenge is to provide tangible and practical input into the change in economic direction the Commission is looking to promote. Like the resource efficiency

strategy itself, the platform brings together individual members with strong and varied economic and environmental backgrounds from the worlds of politics, business, civil society and academia (see box).

Challenges and opportunities If ever there were any doubts that business as usual is no longer an option, then these should have been dispelled by a presentation that Jeremy Grantham, the co-founder of one of the largest asset management companies in the world, gave to the platform members. He graphically demonstrated the rapidly deteriorating situation of many raw resources (you can watch the presentation from the meetings page – link below). Pressure is coming from two main sources. The first is population growth. Since 1938, the world’s population has tripled. Until then, it had taken 1 000 years for it to double. The second is emerging economies with their appetite for economic development. In 2011, for example, China alone used 53 % of all the world’s cement and 47 % of its iron ore. Grantham suggested that, with considerable difficulty, the planet could probably tackle its energy, metals, water and soil challenges. However, he highlighted food as the most pressing problem, due to the growing pressures on water and soil, together with phosphorous and potassium, both of which are essential for agricultural production, and no substitutes are currently available.

Ellen MacArthur, Ellen MacArthur Foundation Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the Environment

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Platform membership © European Union

Dame Ellen MacArthur, who first came to prominence after her solo non-stop voyage around the world when only 24, presented a sustainable way ahead. As she explained, it was during her time at sea, when she had to husband carefully the limited resources at her disposal, that she developed an acute awareness of the word ‘finite’. She recently launched the Ellen MacArthur Foundation which, by concentrating on business, education and communication, aims to accelerate the transition to a generative, circular economy where items are designed in such a way that all the components can be removed and recycled with renewable energy. Pointing to pioneering examples of completely reusable products ranging from carpets, washing machines and mobile phones to car tyres and engines, she demonstrated how the new model of producing, marketing and using products in a different way could reduce pressure on resources, help businesses make profits and generate employment.

Work ahead The platform will focus on three key axes: the circular economy and greening the economy; setting objectives and measuring progress with possible indicators and policy targets; and exploring ways to stimulate investment in resource efficiency and ensure the necessary financing.

Chair: John Bruton Vice-Chair: Janez Potočnik Commissioners: 4 MEPs: 4 National ministers: 4 International organisations: 4 Business and regional authorities: 9 Civil Society: 4 Academia/think tanks: 3

As the high-level group began work, with the help of its Sherpa advisors, some themes are already emerging. Long-term goals, not short-term perspectives are paramount. Awareness and a sense of urgency need to be generated. Market forces alone cannot bring the paradigm shift in policy required. Manufacturers should assume greater responsibility for the materials they use in their products. The Commission is also encouraging wider input into the efforts to establish a clear resource efficiency strategy with identifiable measures and targets similar to its energy and climate change programmes. A dedicated website will disseminate the platform’s work and enable the wider community to make its own contributions. As he thanked members of the platform for agreeing to tackle the challenges ahead, Commissioner Potočnik made clear the route he expects them and others to travel down. ‘I see the platform as the hard core of a strong coalition that I want to see grow in the future, in which members engage their wider constituencies to prepare for the transformation we will inevitably face.’ Find out more http://ec.europa.eu/environment/resource_efficiency/re_ platform/about/meetings

SOIL

New guidelines to reduce soil sealing Every year, an additional 1 000 km2 of soil – an area the size of Berlin – are claimed for human use in the EU. Around half of this land take is then covered with an impermeable material such as concrete, with damaging environmental consequences. New Commission guidelines highlight ways to limit, mitigate and compensate for this ‘soil sealing’. Soil sealing is one of the main causes of soil degradation in Europe. When fertile land is put to other (mainly industrial or urban) use, it increases the risk of flooding, damages biodiversity and natural habitats, contributes to global warming and reduces the amount of land available for food production. If current trends continue, Europe will have covered over an additional area the size of Hungary within a century. To raise awareness of the dangers involved and to demonstrate more sustainable alternatives, the new guidelines present a range of best practices from across the continent. They emphasise the important role that regional and local authorities, with their many responsibilities for spatial planning and management, can play by implementing fully integrated policies from the design to construction phases. They advise development of specific regional approaches to limit urban sprawl. Austria, Germany and Luxembourg, for instance, set quantitative – though non-binding – limits for annual land take. The guidelines recommend favouring the use of abandoned existing local resources, such as empty buildings and brownfield

industrial sites over land already dedicated to agricultural or recreational use. Vienna’s Erdberger Mais development is an example where five inner urban brownfield areas now provide housing for 6 000 people and 20 000 work places. Mitigating the effects of soil sealing can be achieved by using permeable materials that reduce water runoff and allow more rain water to infiltrate through the underlying soils. This helps lower water treatment costs and reduces the risk of flooding and water erosion. Compensation measures can also be applied by using elsewhere, possibly for recreational purposes such as golf courses, the topsoil removed in preparation of the construction of a building or road, or by de-sealing soil that has been covered over.

Spreading the word The guidelines were first aired publicly at a major conference in Brussels in May. They are being translated into all official EU languages and, with the help of institutions such as the Committee of the Regions, will be widely disseminated to Europe’s regional and municipal authorities. They will support the Commission’s longer term goal, set out in last year’s Roadmap to a Resource-Efficient Europe, of achieving no net land take by 2050. Find out more http://www.ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/sealing_guidelines.htm

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BIOCIDES

New rules for biocidal products European legislation which will apply from 1 September 2013 will update and simplify existing procedures for authorising the sale of biocidal products in the Union. These will continue to ensure a high level of protection for the environment and human health, while reducing costs for manufacturers. Biocidal products include disinfectants, insect and rat repellents used industrially or in the home, anti-fouling substances for ships and aquaculture equipment, and fluids to disinfect and preserve human and animal corpses. They are, of course, extremely common. The new legislation addresses certain shortcomings which became clear in the 11 years that the existing Directive has been applied. Its scope is also wider in that it extends to consumer items which have been treated with biocides, such as furniture and textiles, or food packaging. It streamlines the requirements for approving active substances and for authorising products, offering companies two routes to receive permission to place their products on the market. The first, which is likely to be used by large firms, represents another step towards a single market by creating an EU-wide authorisation system. An application is submitted to the Helsinki-based European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and if it is successful the product may be sold throughout the Union. The second may appeal more to the many small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) in this industry. They present an

application to their own national authority to sell a product in their home country. If this is granted and they later wish to begin exporting to another Member State, then the mutual recognition procedure comes into play. The new legislation provides for a dedicated IT platform – the Register for Biocidal Products – which will be used as a onestop shop to submit applications, record decisions and provide information to the public.

Benefits One of the main advantages of the new arrangements lies in the scale of resources it will provide. Currently, these are extremely limited at both national and European level, leading to delays in authorisation and costs to industry. ECHA, the chemicals agency, which will provide strong scientific and technical back-up for the Commission and Member States, is being allocated 100 extra staff to work on biocides. The number of opinions it will deliver is expected to increase from 80 in 2014 to 300 in 2020. The legislation will reduce animal testing by making data sharing compulsory and by encouraging more flexible and intelligent testing practices. The combination of new measures will bring clear savings to the industry. These are estimated to total some EUR 2.7 billion over 10 years. Find out more http://ec.europa.eu/environment/biocides/index.htm

ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS

Using financial instruments to reduce waste

The European Union has set itself various targets for recovering and recycling waste, ranging from packaging to cars and electrical goods. Some countries are more efficient at reaching these than others. A new Commission report * underlines the need for economic instruments if the goals are to be achieved.

The Commission is pressing for full implementation of existing EU waste legislation. In 2008, the waste management and recycling industries had a turnover of EUR 145 billion and accounted for some two million jobs. Full compliance, it is estimated, could add an extra EUR 42 billion to that total each year and 400 000 more jobs.

Across the European Union, common targets are in place for handling waste. But the progress towards them is distinctly uneven. Six Member States – Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Sweden and The Netherlands – landfill less than 3 % of their municipal waste, but the percentage for the nine worst performing countries is more than 75 %.

Next steps

Europe’s goals – reiterated in last year’s Resource Efficiency Roadmap – include zero landfilling, maximum recycling and reuse and limiting energy recovery to non-recyclable waste. Drawing on experience from across the EU, the report concludes that a combination of economic instruments will need to be applied more widely to implement existing legislation and meet those goals. It identifies three main avenues. A ban or tax on landfill and incineration has proved highly effective in decreasing such practices by pushing up costs. Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) schemes prevent the creation of waste and encourage citizens to reduce waste and participate in separate waste collections. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, a way to collect and redistribute funds to develop separate collection and recycling programmes, already exist for packaging waste in 24 Member States.

The Commission is investigating how to best promote these economic instruments in a review of EU waste targets for 2014. It would also like to see ex ante conditions apply to the use of future European Structural Funds, which would be devoted to waste prevention, reuse and recycling as priorities. In cooperation with the European Environment Agency and stakeholders, an early warning system assessing whether the EU’s legally binding waste targets will be met is being developed. This model will help evaluate and plan national waste prevention and management strategies. The first projections are due by mid-2013. A specific study on EPR schemes, examining best practices and cost efficiency, will be launched during 2012. Find out more http://www.ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/use.htm

* Use of economic instruments and waste management performances

NEW PUBLICATIONS

VITORIA GASTEIZ European Green Capital winner This beautifully illustrated 60-page booklet provides a wealth of information about this medieval capital of the Basque Country in northern Spain which is this year’s Green Capital. Although considerably smaller than the two previous winners – Stockholm and Hamburg – it has outstanding environmental experience and credentials which have been developed over 30 years. The publication presents and explains these achievements. To download or order the brochure in English or Spanish, visit: http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/vitoria-gasteiz-pbKH3011346/

THE VOICES OF LIFE 20 years of getting things done This special joint publication of the European Commission’s LIFE Nature and LIFE Environment units marks the 20th anniversary this year of the LIFE programme. It focuses on individuals who brought LIFE into being and developed its many activities over the past two decades. It features interviews with over 75 people from 20 countries giving them a platform to explain in their own words the impact the EU funding has had on their work, environment, communities and lives. To download or order the publication in English, visit: http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/the-voices-of-life-pbKH3111451/? CatalogCategoryID=r1sKABstjgMAAAEjvIYY4e5K

Ensuring safe use of carbon capture and storage in Europe Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a new technology with significant potential to contribute to the fight against climate change. As with all new technologies, it is necessary to consider carefully its potential impact on the environment and human health. The European Union adopted legislation in 2009 to ensure that CCS is implemented safely, and as far as possible to prevent and eliminate any risks. This six page brochure explains the technology and the legislation. To download or order the brochure in English (other languages will follow), visit: http://ec.europa.eu/clima/publications/docs/factsheet_ccs_en.pdf

AGENDA

European Mobility Week 16-22 September This year’s focus is on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans. Towns and cities are invited to join the event and make the right choices forpublic transport, shared road space and fluid passage for everyone. http://www.mobilityweek.eu

Environment Forum annual meeting 24 September, Brussels This will bring together EU policy makers and NGO representatives from the candidate and potential candidate countries to exchange information on the latest developments in the enlargement process and assess the impact of new EU environmental policy developments. http://www.envforum.eu

11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 8 to 19 October, Hyderabad, India This will consider, inter alia, the status of the Nagoya Protocol, implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. http://www.cbd.int

EUROPARC Conference 22-25 October, Kempen and Maasland Regional Landscape, Genk, Belgium The theme of this year’s annual conference is (RE)CONNECTING. It will examine re(connecting) nature with nature, people with nature, business with biodiversity and policy with practice. In short, re(connecting) society with biodiversity. http://www.europarc.org/conference-2012

Unless otherwise stated, publications are available free of charge from the EU Bookshop at http://bookshop.europa.eu

KH-AD-12-048-EN-C

IN BRIEF

European Business Awards for the Environment

The contribution which business can make to different aspects of sustainable development was acknowledged at a special ceremony during Green Week when five companies were presented as the 2012 winners in their respective categories. They were Marks and Spencer (UK) for management; Aquamarine Power (UK) for product; Umicore (Belgium) for process; INENSUS GmbH (Germany) for international business cooperation; and Slovenskéelektrárne, a.s. (Slovakia) for business and biodiversity. The winners contain both large corporations and small businesses and operate in sectors ranging from retail to energy and material engineering. Overall, 156 submissions were received – a 10 % increase on 2010 – the majority from SMEs. The most heavily subscribed category was the newly introduced ‘business and biodiversity’. The winners, who successfully combine innovation, competitiveness and outstanding environmental performance, were selected from a shortlist of 14 candidates from nine European countries. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/awards

Bologna wins 2011 European Mobility Week Award

The Northern Italian city of Bologna won the award after impressing an independent panel with the way it promoted clean alternatives to the use of cars and involved the public in activities during European Mobility Week in 2011. The runners-up were Larnaka in Cyprus and the Croatian capital Zagreb. The 2011 campaign theme of alternative mobility was selected to support the transition towards a resource-efficient transport system by promoting clean, fuel-efficient or human-powered forms of transport. Bologna saw off its rivals after organising a car free weekend, instead of just one day, and establishing a large car-free zone in the centre of the city for a whole week – an initiative that will be repeated. Various attractions included bicycle tours, workshops, self-repair stands and an exhibition of electric cars. The city also introduced permanent measures such as charging points for electric cars and plans to extend the network of cycling paths to 130 km. This year’s European Mobility Week will be held between 16-22 September. http://www.mobilityweek.eu

New approach to assessing toxic chemical mixtures

European legislation sets strict limits on the amounts of particular chemicals allowed in food, water, air and manufactured products. But the potentially toxic effects of these chemicals in combination are rarely examined. The Commission is now addressing the potential risks of chemical mixtures to which humans are exposed daily so that these are properly understood and assessed. This will involve identification of the priority mixtures to be assessed, ensuring different pieces of EU legislation deliver consistent risk assessments for such mixtures and filling in gaps in the scientific knowledge needed to make the assessments. By 2014, the Commission will develop technical guidance to codify best practice for assessing the priority mixtures. A year later it will report back on the progress achieved. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/effects.htm

www.generationawake.eu www.imagineallthewater.eu www.facebook.com/GenerationAwake

Your choices make a word of difference. Join generationawake.eu Do you want to live life to the full while respecting nature? Then Generation Awake is for you. It’s all about opening our eyes to our consumer choices and the consequences they have on the earth’s natural resources. When you’re part of Generation Awake, you’re aware that your choices not only change your world, but also the planet. How? As life is all about choices, making smart day-to-day decisions that consider the environment also make a world of difference to your life and that of your family and friends. Firstly, it will help you save money and improve your lifestyle – and help the economy too. On top of that, smarter consumer choices make your city, your country, Europe and the planet healthier and more sustainable. Take a look at initiatives taken by the European Union to learn how your choices make a difference to your personal wellbeing, and that of the planet.

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