The Commission has published its legislative proposal on reducing the risks of deforestation and forest degradation associated with all products on the EU market. The proposal is part of the package on soil, waste shipment and deforestation and it will require companies to ensure that their products sold in the EU do not come from areas…
The European Investment Bank (EIB) – the financial arm of the EU – has approved a new Transparency Policy that will allow the bank to keep hiding information on projects it finances despite their potential impacts on people and the environment. The new policy, it is claimed, “further deteriorates” transparency conditions at the EIB…
The Commission has adopted three new initiatives that are necessary for making the Green Deal a reality. The Commission is proposing new rules to curb EU-driven deforestation, as well as new rules to facilitate intra-EU waste shipments to promote circular economy and tackle the export of illegal waste and waste challenges to third countries. The…
The European Commission has announced a first of its kind strategy for the protection of European soils. The degradation of topsoils poses enormous threats to biodiversity, agriculture, human health and the climate. The European Commission has announced it will propose a Soil Health Law in 2023 to significantly improve the state of soils by 2050…
Speaking at the European Commission’s SME Assembly 2021 during the Schumpeter ‘Innovation in Enterprise’ Lecture, joint Nobel Prize laureate Professor Lučka Kajfež Bogataj of the University of Ljubljana said that the world needs “enlightened policies and governance, and an engaged citizenry if we are to achieve long-term sustainability.” “We can no longer postpone tackling difficult issues, and we…
The EPP group says that the outcome of COP26 “has shown that the world must fight climate change with more ambition.” A statement on Monday said, “We can only avoid a climate catastrophe if the whole world works together.” “In the last 30 years, Europe has reduced its emissions by 25 percent, about 1 percent…
The European Greens say they welcome the progress made at the UN Climate Conference COP26 in Glasgow. Improved emission commitments from some countries, new international initiatives on phasing out oil and gas production as well as finalising the Paris Agreement rulebook bring the world a couple of desperately needed steps closer to tackling the climate…
Commission head Ursula von der Leyen says that COP26 is “a step in the right direction.” She said, “1.5 degrees Celsius remains within reach; but the work is far from done. The least we can do now is implement the promises of Glasgow as rapidly as possible and then aim higher.” “I would like to…
An environmental group says that while the EU and European countries helped to secure some advancements on emissions reductions at COP26, it failed to step up and secure a comprehensive package to support climate vulnerable countries. It says the EU now needs to get behind solutions on finance to address loss and damage, scale up…
The UN climate negotiations COP26 agreement is set to be the ‘great Glasgow get-out clause’, Friends of the Earth said on the last day of scheduled talks. Developed countries have shirked their responsibilities and put the world on track for a rise in emissions and devastation of countries and communities already hardest hit by climate…
