Esimerkki FoEn EU-infosta


Subject: Esimerkki FoEn EU-infosta
From: Otto Miettinen (om@sll.fi)
Date: pe 17 huhti  1998 - 23:59:09 EEST


Kun tuli puhe eri kansalaisjärjestöjen EU-toimistoista, tässä esimerkki
Friends of the Earthin toiminnasta siellä. Tämmöinen update tulee joka
viikko.

t. Otto

>Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 11:14:30 -0400
>From: Gill Lacroix <100717.1155@compuserve.com>
>Subject: WEEKLY BULLETIN 12-98
>Sender: Gill Lacroix <100717.1155@compuserve.com>
>To: FoE Austria <foeaustria@signale.comlink.apc.org>,
> FoE Belgium <amis.delaterre@gate71.be>,
> Charles Berkow <cberkow@algonet.se>,
> FoE EWNI Bulletin <euweekly-archive@foe.co.uk>,
> FoE Cyprus <FOEarth@spidernet.com.cy>,
> FoE Denmark <foedenmark@noah.dk>,
> Roger Doiron <roger.doiron@foeeurope.org>,
> FoE Estonia <oja@erl.tartu.ee>, FoE EWNI <susdev@foe.co.uk>,
> FoE Finland <maanyst@kaapeli.fi>, FoEI <foeint@xs4all.nl>,
> FoE France <amiterre@micronet.fr>, Sandy Hemingway
<atierra@noray.com>,
> FoE Hungary <ildiko@mtvsz.zpok.hu>,
> FoE Northern Ireland <keepukijw@gn.apc.org>,
> FoE Italy <foeitaly@gn.apc.org>,
> Patricia Jimenez <patricia.jimenez@foeeurope.org>,
> FoE Latvia <vak@com.latnet.lv>,
> BUND - Dorit Lehrack <bund.bv.gf.fach@t-online.de>,
> FoE Lithuania <atgaja@kaunas.omnitel.net>,
> FoE Luxembourg <meco@ci.rech.lu>,
> FoE Macedonia <bimadem@lotus.mpt.com.mk>,
> FoE Malta <choppy@kemmunet.net.mt>,
> "Milieudefensie (WB)" <abo-foeeweekly@foenl.antenna.nl>,
> FoE Switzerland/Pro Natu <mbehrens@pronatura.ch>,
> FoE Norway <naturvern@sn.no>, "Sadhbh O'Neill" <foeeire@iol.ie>,
> FoE Poland <biuro@zgpke.krakow.pl>,
> Martin Rocholl <martin.rocholl@foeeurope.org>,
> Philipp Schepelmann <Philipp.Schepelmann@t-online.de>,
> FoE Scotland <foescotland@gn.apc.org>,
> Mara Silina <mara.silina@foeeurope.org>,
> FoE Slovakia <cepa@changenet.sk>, FoE Spain <tierra@arrakis.es>,
> Philippe Spapens <spapens@tip.nl>, FoE Sweden <foesweden@nn.apc.org>,
> PAUL THOMPSON <101767.457@compuserve.com>,
> Angela Thymides <foulimou@easynet.fr>,
> FoE Ukraine <zsfoe@zsfoe.melp.dp.ua>, Natur og Ungdom <natung@sn.no>,
> Daniel Vondrous <hduhapr@ecn.cz>
>X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by katto.kaapeli.fi id
SAA10852
>
>FRIENDS OF THE EARTH EUROPE
>WEEKLY BULLETIN
>N° 12/98 (8.04.98)
>
>
>CONTENTS
>
>TOPICS :
>ENERGY :
>The future must be environmentally sound say G-8 ministers
>CLIMATE CHANGE :
>Illegal trade in CFCs thriving
>WATER/MARINE ISSUES :
>Nitrate pollution from agricultural sources
>Slow implementation of the Baltic Sea Convention
>WASTE/RECYCLING :
>Ad Hoc NGO-European Commission waste management committee
>Plastics recycling increasing across Europe
>NUCLEAR ISSUES :
>Commission to crack down on radioactive material transport safety
>Chernobyl shelter fund - Parliament approves contribution
>FISHING :
>Italy : proposal to ban driftnets is disciminatory and unfair
>BIODIVERSITY/NATURE CONSERVATION :
>Commission explains strengthened wildlife trade controls
>CHEMICALS :
>Workshop on sustainable use of plant protection products
>NOISE :
>Council passess amended directive on noisy aircraft
>
>EU ISSUES :
>GENERAL DEVELOPMENTS :
>G-8 countries to act against environmental crime
>Important meetings under the Austrian Presidency
>Greenpeace cannot take legal action against EU environmental decisions
>Commission contribution to remote-sensing system
>Rome Club - renewed warning on the environment
>OFFICIAL JOURNAL :
>News from the Official Journal of the European Communities
>
>
>ENERGY :
>
>ENERGY - THE FUTURE MUST BE ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND, SAY G-8 MINISTERS
>(European Report) - Energy sector liberalisation and the environment
>dominated the ministerial discussions at the G-8 meeting that Moscow hosted
>on April 1. Whilst the EU countries are gearing up to implement the 1996
>internal electricity market Directive, the adoption of the gas Directive
>and follow-up work on the European Commission's White Paper on Renewables,
>Ministers confirmed that Europe's energy future will be brighter, cleaner
>and more competitive. However, in light of the problems faced by the
>damaged Chernobyl reactor and a rather weak set of Summit proposals for
>improving nuclear safety, the question of priorities must inevitably arise.
>The Moscow G-8 meeting saw European Energy Commissioner, Christos
>Papoutsis, optimistic that "global cooperation" will lead to increased
>security, and that "promoting sustainable development will improve consumer
>choice", bode well for the European citizen and industry alike. However,
>it would seem that the burning issue of nuclear safety, including, any real
>investment proposals, were conveniently overlooked. Ironically, as the
>Ministers talked, the cracks which appeared in their debate were reflected
>in those slowly appearing in the concrete sarcophagus around Chernobyl's
>reactor unit 4 just across the border.
>Nuclear policy was, of course, a priority; however, the message which was
>sent out loud and clear was that responsibility for nuclear safety must
>rest with national governments. The Ministerial meeting's communique
>emphasised this point in stating: "we recognise that (...) responsibility
>for nuclear safety rests with the operators of installations and that
>responsibility for ensuring the effective regulation of nuclear safety
>tests, with national governments". In the context of the launch of
>accession negotiations with 5 Central and East European countries, European
>citizens may well be forgiven for wondering if this policy is adequate to
>ensure real safety in the East European nuclear industry. Mr Papoutsis's
>statement that "the EU reaffirms its commitment to the highest
>internationally-recognised safety levels, a primary consideration, in the
>exploitation of nuclear energy" is well intended, but money is the only
>real answer, and the issue of funding was conveniently side-stepped.
>Mr Papoutsis once again confirmed the EU's commitment to Kyoto targets and
>described a dual road which will take Europe forward to a more
>environmentally-friendly future. The first objective will be to "examine
>the impact of energy on greenhouse gas emissions", the second to "identify
>the most cost-effective energy policy measures able to target the
>objectives of reducing the impact of energy sources with high carbon
>content, and promote cleaner technologies".
>Within the context of liberalisation, environmental protection and other
>issues covered by the Summit, including transport, investment and
>international cooperation, Mr Papoutsis returned regularly to the vital
>role played by the Energy Charter Treaty. Significantly, the treaty still
>remains to be ratified, if it ever will be, by the energy giant Russia
>itself. Both Mr. Papoutsis and Margaret Beckett, the UK's Trade and
>Industry Secretary, made pointed reference to the importance of signing and
>ratifying the Treaty saying it "facilitates the setting up of a framework
>for private investments to emerge, establishing stable, legal and tax
>regimes".
>The Moscow Ministerial conclusions will now be sent on to the Western
>Economic Summit of the world's most industrialised countries, due to take
>place in Birmingham, UK in May.
>
>CLIMATE CHANGE :
>
>ILLEGAL TRADE IN CFC'S THRIVING
>(The Hindu Business Line) - Illegal trade in the environmentally harmful
>chloro fluorocarbons (CFC) is thriving and the profits raked in by the
>merchants was higher than exporting cocaine, according to an environment
>expert from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Nairobi. The
>total illegal trade cannot be estimated accurately, but a reasonable guess
>puts the figure around 30,000 tons. Realising this growing menace, the US
>has launched stringent action, including heavy fines and imprisonment for
>these smugglers, while the European Union recently introduced tough
>controls.
>The parties to the Montreal Protocol have also mandated that each country
>should have a licensing system to import or export CFCs, which would enable
>the Secretariat in Montreal to compare figures and inform governments about
>the source of illegal CFC's, Mr. K. Madhava Sarma, Executive Secretary,
>UNEP said. Mr. Sarma told the General Assembly of the Global Environmental
>Facility (GEF) that in the US, the market price of CFCs is very high due to
>high tax, while the countries of the Russian Federation were continuing
>production, defying compliance with the Protocol, with a promise to phase
>out by 2000.
>The World Bank was in the process of raising $25 millions from donors to
>buy off the production facilities in the Russian Federation and to close
>them down by 2000. The GEF has extended up to $111 millions to 11
>countries in the Russian Federation, which accounted for a consumption
>levels of 150,000 tonn in 1986. By 1996, consumption fell sharply to about
>20,000 tons. In the aftermath of the Montreal Protocol, which set time
>frames for the phase-out of CFCs, permission has been given for the use and
>trade of recycled CFC's to maintain the existing equipment. The problem is
>in distinguishing between new and recycled CFC's. Though CFC alternatives
>have been developed to service equipment such as car air-conditioners,
>consumers consider them more expensive.
>
>(SEE ALSO ARTICLE UNDER "ENERGY")
>(SEE ALSO ARTICLE UNDER "EU ISSUES - GENERAL DEVELOPMENTS")
>
>WATER/MARINE ISSUES :
>
>NITRATE POLLUTION FROM AGRICULTURAL SOURCES
>(Gill Lacroix) - The European Commission has issued a report to the Council
>and the European Parliament (as it is bound to do under Article 11 of the
>Nitrates Directive) on "The implementation of Council Directive 91/676/EEC
>concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates
>from agricultural sources". The report deals with the background of the
>directive, the causes and effects of nitrates, and the implementation and
>application of the EU's Nitrates Directive. (In fact, one should say the
>"lack of implementation and application" of the directive since 13 out of
>the 15 Member States are currently facing legal proceedings by the
>Commission.) The report concludes that six years after its adoption, the
>implementation of the directive is unsatisfactory and constitutes a failure
>on the part of the Member States to deal with serious environmental and
>human health problems. A copy of the report is available from the
>Information Service on request.
>
>SLOW IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BALTIC SEA CONVENTION
>(Europe Environment) - While substantial progress has been made over the
>last ten years, the target of a 50% reduction in pollution in the Baltic
>Sea has not been achieved. Meeting in Helsinki at the end of March,
>Environment Ministers from the nine countries Party to the Convention on
>the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, and the
>European Commission, represented by Environment Commissioner Ritt
>Bjerregaard, reviewed the implementation of the Convention, reaffirmed
>their commitment to achieve the strategic goals set out in the 1998
>Ministerial Declaration and agreed to define a series of more specific
>targets to be achieved before the year 2005.
>Cooperation between Baltic states and the European Community has produced
>many environmental gains in the course of the last 25 years, confirming the
>belief that the deterioration of the Baltic Sea can be arrested and the
>state of the marine environment improved. At the Ministerial meeting of
>the Helsinki Commission in 1988, Ministers agreed to seek a 50% reduction
>in pollution discharges into the Baltic Sea, a demanding target mainly
>concerning heavy metals, toxic and persistent organic compounds and
>nutrients. These objectives served as the starting point for planning and
>policy development within the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM). Now, ten years
>later, Environment Ministers and Commissioner Bjerregaard noted that a
>number of important actions have been taken through the successful
>implementation of the Baltic Sea Joint Comprehensive Environmental Action
>Programme, notably the suppression of some 15 important sources of
>pollution, with work continuing to remove 70% of the remaining priority
>"hot spots". Ministers therefore concluded that progress towards arresting
>pollution inputs and restoring the ecological balance of the Baltic Sea
>should be speeded up. They reaffirmed their commitment to achieving the
>strategic goals set out in the 1988 Ministerial Declaration and to define a
>series of more specific targets to be met before the year 2005 and reviewed
>in 2003. They agreed to step up the implementation of the Joint
>Comprehensive Action Programme and to put more emphasis on the reduction of
>pollution sources in agriculture and transport, and on action to remedy the
>remaining industrial hot-spots. They also agreed to implement a strategy
>for putting an end to discharges, reducing emissions and losses of
>hazardous substances by the year 2020. Finally, Ministers emphasised the
>importance of international cooperation, not only within the context of the
>Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea
>Area, but also through a number of other important international
>Conventions and treaties, notably the United Nations Convention on the
>Protection and Use of Transboundary Water Courses and International Lakes.
>
>WASTE/RECYCLING :
>
>AD HOC NGO - EUROPEAN COMMISSION WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
>(Gavin McCall, FoE Scotland) - The next meeting of the above committee will
>be held on 24 April 1998. The following items will be on the agenda:
>- Review of Annex V of Council Regulation (EEC) 259/93
>- Progress on legislation under discussion in Council and Parliament (End
>of Life Vehicles and Landfill)
>- Incineration of waste, XI-E.1
>- Communication on the competitiveness of the recycling industry
>- PVC initiative - current situation
>If anyone wishes to input to the discussions, please pass your comments to
>Gavin McCall at Friends of the Earth Scotland, T. 44-131-554 9977, F. 44-
>131- 554 8656,
>E-mail: foescotland@gn.apc.org.
>
>PLASTICS RECYCLING INCREASING ACROSS EUROPE
>(Europe Environment) - The collection and recycling in Europe of PET
>plastic recipients increased by 40% last year to 86,000 tons, a figure
>equivalent to 1.72bn bottles according to Petcore, the European recycling
>organisation. The plastics recovered were transformed into new bottles and
>products ranging from thermal clothing to floor coverings and egg boxes.
>If the non-recyclable parts of bottles are included (bottle tops, labels
>and bases), 107,000 tons were collected in 1997, an increase of 32,000
>tons. This 40% increase in recycling greatly exceeds the increase in
>annual consumption of PET, which rose by an average of 10% across Europe.
>Petcore is predicting similar growth in recycling over the current year and
>in 1999.
>Meanwhile, the recycling association European Plastic Recyclers (EuPR), has
>announced that it is to set up three working groups to encourage exchange
>of information and cooperation between the enterprises concerned. These
>groups will focus on packaging, motor vehicles and electricals and
>electronics. The organisation also plans to create a recyclates price
>indicator in Euros ("EuPR Price Indicator") providing its members with the
>average price in Europe for recycled plastics.
>
>NUCLEAR ISSUES :
>
>COMMISSION TO CRACK DOWN ON RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL TRANSPORT SAFETY
>(European Report) - A spate of incidents involving the transport and
>handling of radioactive materials in recent years have prompted the
>European Commission to try and tighten up safety standards and improve
>general practices in the nuclear materials sector. A five-year action
>plan is expected to be approved by the Commission this week in a bid to
>ensure greater harmonisation of packaging, documentation, quality assurance
>procedures, and competent authority requirements for radioactive waste.
>The proposed plan is set out in a draft Communication from the Commissioner
>for Energy, Christos Papoutsis, which draws heavily on the fourth report
>from the Permanent Group of Experts on the Transportation of Radioactive
>Materials.
>To implement these measures, the draft Communication recommends EU-wide
>surveys, specifically of the EU Member States' capacities to use computer
>techniques for package safety analysis. In addition, the document contains
>proposals for an in-depth review of basic transport regulations which take
>account of new developments, recent research and the results of
>investigations into incidents with the transport of radioactive materials.
>Emergency arrangements and training are also stressed, with proposals for
>the organisation of courses and the distribution of manuals for those
>organisations involved in emergency situations.
>The draft Communication argues that the Central and Eastern European
>Countries (CEEC) and New Independent States (NIS) will need more assistance
>in the future, in the shape of action programmes and training courses,
>funded by TACIS and PHARE, to improve radioactive material transport
>safety. Finally, the draft Communication stresses the need for better
>public information, the development of acceptance and tolerability criteria
>for the risks arising from the transport of radioactive material, and the
>use of in-built safety margins which go beyond design accident conditions.
>
>CHERNOBYL SHELTER FUND - PARLIAMENT APPROVES CONTRIBUTION
>(see Weekly Bulletin n° 11/98)
>(Agence Europe) - With adoption of the report by Gordon Adams, MEP (Labour,
>UK), Parliament approved the decision on the Community's contribution to
>the EBRD for the Chernobyl Shelter Fund. It subscribed to the inscription
>of a multiannual indicative amount of ECU 100 million for the period
>1998-2005. Part of this sum could come out of TACIS credits for 1998 and
>1999 (the European Commission provided for the entire contribution to be
>made from the current TACIS budget for fiscal 1998 and 1999). Parliament
>insisted upon the fact that it is the budget authority - Parliament and the
>Council - that must fix the amount of the annual financing, in terms of
>funds available for each budget year. The EP called on the Commission to
>evaluate, before entering any resources into the fund, the situation of the
>contributions by other donors and to pay only when other countries have
>fulfilled their contributions. The Commission is also invited to submit a
>report to the budget authority on implementation of the fund at the time of
>its presentation of the preliminary draft budget.
>While reacting positively to most of Parliament's amendments, Commissioner
>Anita Gradin voiced opposition to the staggering of payments. Noting that
>USD 128 million have already been paid by the United States, she tried to
>reassure Members that other donors are respecting their undertakings.
>
>(SEE ALSO ARTICLE UNDER "ENERGY")
>
>FISHING :
>
>ITALY : THE PROPOSAL TO BAN DRIFTNETS IS DISCRIMINATORY AND UNFAIR
>(see Weekly Bulletin n° 11/98)
>(Agence Europe) - Italian fishermen have criticized the proposal to ban the
>use of driftnets in Europe for fishing tuna and swordfish. According to
>Ettore Iani, the chairman of Lega Pesca, such a measure would penalize
>European fishermen were it to apply to the Mediterranean, whereas third
>country fleets could continue to fish without restrictions and export their
>catches to the European market. The decision to ban driftnets, which will
>probably be taken by the EU Fisheries Council in June, is intended to save
>dolphins and other marine mammals that die as accessory catches.
>According to Lega Pesca, however, the measure would introduce unacceptable
>discrimination. Lega Pesca points out that a reduction of 30% was imposed
>to prevent overfishing of salmon in the Baltic Sea, whereas a derogation is
>provided for this region regarding the proposal on driftnets under which
>fishermen in the Baltic Sea would be able to continue using driftnets of up
>to 21 km in length. On the other hand, according to Lega Pesca, scientific
>data show that there is no risk of overfishing for the swordfish in the
>Mediterranean, and a total ban on driftnets is nevertheless being proposed.
> The Italian driftnet fleet is the largest in the Mediterranean, and Lega
>Pesca predicts that the ban would lead to the loss of 5,000 jobs in the
>southern part of the country. Mr. Iani urges the European Commissioner for
>fisheries, Emma Bonino, to withdraw the proposal, and calls for the vote in
>Council, scheduled for June, to be postponed. He recalls that the total
>ban on driftnets has never been requested by the United Nations, but rather
>their regulation. Lega Pesca hopes to extend the debate beyond the
>Fisheries Council to involve governments in general.
>
>BIODIVERISTY/NATURE CONSERVATION :
>
>COMMISSION EXPLAINS STENGTHENED WILDLIFE TRADE CONTROLS
>(EU Press Release) - The European Commission has launched a detailed
>reference guide to explain new EU laws agreed last year to control trade in
>wild animals and plants. By their nature, these regulations are very
>far-reaching and not easy to understand at first glance. The guide, which
>will be available in all EU languages, will be distributed widely to
>customs officers, enforcement officials and administrative authorities
>responsible for implementing the regulations. Its availability to
>interested trade circles will facilitate better understanding of the
>controls and stimulate improvements in the application of EU law in this
>field.
>143 countries have signed an international agreement, the Convention on
>International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
>This Convention prohibits international trade in endangered species and
>allows trade in many others only under a strict licensing system. EU
>countries are amongst the world's major consumers of wild animals and
>plants and products made from them. CITES has been implemented throughout
>the EU since 1984 but in June 1997 far-reaching new EU regulations came
>into effect to implement the Convention. These new regulations
>incorporated many changes to the previous procedures, which were required
>to improve the efficacy of the laws. The Regulation contains six major new
>features:
>' The full requirements of CITES are explicitly included in the Regulation
>text harmonizing the application in the Member States;
>' Control and monitoring of trade in selected species not covered by CITES
>is made possible;
>' Strict criteria before allowing importation are to be applied to an extra
>25000 species compared with the old Regulation;
>' Improved flexibility, transparency and coordination of controls at all
>levels;
>' Mandatory sanctions for those who break the law, with penalties to be set
>by Member States, which fit the gravity of the crime;
>' EU level bodies are established to coordinate and harmonize enforcement
>and scientific aspects of the controls.
>To coincide with the revision of the laws, the Commission joined forces
>with the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and TRAFFIC (a conservation
>programme of WWF and the World Conservation Union) to engage in an
>extensive publicity programme throughout the EU. Working closely with
>partners and the national authorities in each Member State, TRAFFIC have
>produced publicity material for distribution to the general public through
>travel agencies and for display at airports and seaports. The reference
>guide launched on 2nd April has been produced both for those charged with
>implementing the new laws and those most affected by them in the private
>sector. It will also be possible to consult the guide on the Europa
>internet site (http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/dg11/cites/citeshome.htm).
>
>(SEE ALSO ARTICLE UNDER "EU ISSUES - GENERAL DEVELOPMENTS")
>
>CHEMICALS :
>
>WORKSHOP ON SUSTAINABLE USE OF PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS
>(Gill Lacroix) - SECOND CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS!
>The European Commission has invited FoEE to participate in the Second
>Workshop on a framework for the Sustainable Use of Plant Protection
>Products in the European Union" which will be held in Brussels on May
>12-14. The workshop is part of an EU project aimed at the implementation
>of the 5th Environmental Action Programme for the use of plant protection
>products in the European Union. The objectives of this workshop are to :
>(1) inform participants about the progress made during the second phase of
>the project, (2) to discuss the results of research done in phase 2, and
>(3) to discuss elements of a recommendation for a European policy for a
>more sustainable use of plant protection products in agriculture.
>About 150 people are expected to attend this workshop and participation is
>by invitation only. DG XI has reserved two places for Friends of the
>Earth. There is no participation fee but it is not yet clear whether the
>Commission would consider to pay for travel costs of NGO representatives.
>ONE OF THE TWO PLACES ALLOCATED TO FoEE HAS ALREADY BEEN TAKEN BY NOAH/FoE
>DENMARK. ANYONE FROM OTHER FoE MEMBER GROUPS INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING
>IN THE WORKSHOP, PLEASE CONTACT GILL AT THE BRUSSELS OFFICE.
>
>NOISE :
>
>COUNCIL PASSES AMENDED DIRECTIVE ON NOISY AIRCRAFT
>(European Report) - The EU Council of Ministers announced on March 30 that
>it had adopted the Directive amending Directive 92/14 on the limitation of
>the operation of certain aircraft. The amendment in question seeks to
>adjust a list of aircraft from developing nations which are exempted, a
>list annexed to the text. During the cooperation procedure, the
>composition of the list attracted criticism from the European Parliament.
>MEPs were flabbergasted to find Saudi Arabia included on the list, finding
>it difficult to equate the oil-rich nation with a developing country. The
>reaction from the Council and the Commission is that the Annex is based on
>the classification made by the UN, with the result that the final text
>remains unchanged.
>
>EU ISSUES :
>
>GENERAL DEVELOPMENTS :
>
>G8 COUNTRIES TO ACT AGAINST ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME
>(Reuters) - Ministers from Russia and the Group of Seven countries agreed
>on 5/4 to step up cooperation against international environmental crime, a
>growing market estimated to be worth $20 billion a year. "We want to
>declare war on the smugglers who trade illegally in banned products such as
>endangered species, ozone-depleting substances and hazardous wastes"
>Britain's Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said. "What we need to do is
>to increase our international efforts and we are going to train more
>officials to be involved in that" he told a news conference after the
>meeting of environmental ministers from Britain, the United States, France,
>Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia which was held in the runup to the
>G8 summit in Birmingham in May. Prescott said he wanted to see the
>equivalent of Interpol to allow police, customs and enforcement agencies
>combat the global illegal trade. "We are also appealing to the public to
>do an awful lot more. We want to enlist an army of environmental
>detectives" he said. Prescott said the illegal trade in endangered species
>alone was estimated at five billion dollars a year, rising to 20 billion
>when illegal fishing, logging and trade in bootleg chlorofluorocarbons or
>CFCs was included. These gases are still produced in Russia, China and
>some former communist countries for use in cooling systems and other
>industrial processes. "We want people to realise you can make as much
>money illegally out of environmental crimes as is now being made out of
>drugs, and it's attracting very tough operators like the mafia into this
>business" Prescott said.
>The meeting highlighted continuing differences between the EU and the US
>about how governments should implement the hard-fought Kyoto conference
>agreement to cut emissions of greenhouse gases. The Kyoto compromise,
>which Prescott played a big part in negotiating last December, agreed
>industrialised nations should cut emissions of six greenhouse gases by an
>average 5.2% between 2008 and 2012, with a 7% cut for the U.S. and 8% for
>the EU. Governments are now working on the details, including the extent
>to which countries will be able to meet their targets by trading emission
>cutbacks between them. The final communique from Sunday's meeting said
>that such flexible mechanisms "shall be supplemental to domestic action".
>Britain's environment minister Michael Meacher described this as an issue
>of some contention between the US and the EU. "The EU believes the main
>emphasis should be on domestic action. The problem for the US is that they
>propose to deal with the problem by handing out permits for companies and
>they cannot be sure what the balance will be between domestic and foreign
>trading," he said. The US signalled it was not happy with the EU's
>insistence that 50% of the agreed cut in emissions should be met
>domestically. "I invited the American representative to come forward with
>new proposals, Meacher said. "Our concern about that is because the US has
>4% of world population and 25% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.
>The US has got to give prime emphasis to that".
>Governments will meet again in Buenos Aires in November to talk about
>implementation of the Kyoto accord and then move on towards ratification.
>The ministers also discussed the relationship between the environment and
>jobs, and steps to protect the world's oceans from pollution, overfishing
>and other environmental threats.
>
>IMPORTANT MEETINGS UNDER THE AUSTRIAN PRESIDENCY
>(Gill Lacroix) - The following is the timetable of meetings organized
>under the Austrian Presidency of the EU (second half of 1998).
>1) Formal Council of Ministers meetings :
>Agriculture - 20-21 July
>Agriculture - 28-29 September
>Transport - 1-2 October
>Environment - 6 October
>Agriculture - 19-20 October
>2) Informal Council of Ministers meetings :
>Transport - 15-16 September
>Environment - 17-19 September
>Agriculture - 19-22 September
>3) European Summit - 11-12 December
>4) Other conferences (organizers shown in parentheses) :
>Health, Environment & Transport - 28-31 July (Austrian Min. of Environment,
>Youth, Family Aff.)
>Land Use and Urban Sustainable Transport - 21-24 September (as above)
>NGO Anti-Nuclear Conference - 25-27 September (Global 2000)
>Natura 2000 Conference - 22-23 October (Austrian Min. of Environment,
>Youth, Family Aff.)
>EU Enlargement - 30 October (EEB and Austrian NGOs)
>Urban Forum City Conference - 26 November (City of Vienna)
>Towards Sustainable Transport in Tourism - early December (Austrian Min. of
>Environment, Youth, Family Aff.)
>
>GREENPEACE CANNOT TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST EU ENVIRONMENTAL DECISIONS
>(Agence Europe) - The European Court of Justice has rejected the appeal by
>Greenpeace to cancel the judgement of the Court of First Instance denying
>it the right to take action in the courts against Community decisions on
>environmental matters. It felt that the Court had correctly applied the
>provisions of the Treaty (Art.173) to conclude that Greenpeace could not
>act before the European courts. The Court confirms therefore that
>individuals who challenged the existence of two electricity power plants in
>the Canary Isles had only been concerned in a "general and abstract" manner
>by the Commission decision to pay a tranche of regional development aid
>(ERDF) for their construction. They could not therefore take action
>against the Commission's financing decision. Greenpeace, also, because it
>does not represent people individually concerned by the decision to fund
>power plants, cannot take action before the courts either.
>Greenpeace had initiated this action because it felt it was completely
>impossible for individuals and associations to insist upon their rights
>against the decisions affecting their interests in environmental matters.
>
>COMMISSION CONTRIBUTION TO REMOTE-SENSING SYSTEM
>(Europe Environment) - By June, it will be possible to forecast on a daily
>basis the seasonal evolution of global vegetation, the extent of
>environmental degradation and the impact of forest fires and agriculture,
>and to examine specific regions in great detail. This information will be
>gathered by the SPOT 4 satellite fitted with the "Vegetation" optical
>system, developed with financial backing from the European Commission.
>The satellite was placed in orbit by an Ariane 4 rocket launched on March
>24 from the Kourou space station in French Guyana. Representing the
>Commission's very first direct contribution to the development of an earth
>observation mission in space, Vegetation was developed in the context of
>the Community's Environment and Climate research programme, which
>specifically covers the area of space technology applied to environmental
>monitoring and research. The Space Applications Institute (SAI) at the
>EU's Joint Research Centre participated in the genesis of this instrument.
>>From a helio-synchronic orbit, the four Vegetation cameras will cover the
>globe with a resolution of 1 kilometre, in 2,000 km sweeps in visible near
>and medium infrared bands. The instrument will enable observations to be
>updated almost daily, with on-board data storage and transmission to a
>principal station in Sweden and secondary local stations. The images will
>be processed and distributed by a centre in Belgium. SPOT 4 is also fitted
>with another optical instrument, HRVIR, a high resolution (20 to 10 metres)
>panchromatic camera that will enable specific regions to be examined in
>greater detail. This combination of instruments will provide a unique
>opportunity for the interpretation of data on several scales. The
>Commission hails Vegetation as one of the best
>instruments of its kind and a substantial improvement on current capacity.
>Following testing, the first images are expected in June.
>
>ROME CLUB - RENEWED WARNING ON THE ENVIRONMENT
>(Europe Environment) - Celebrating the 30th anniversary if its creation in
>Paris in 1968, the Rome Club has issued a new warning on environmental
>protection and the survival of humanity. The Club, which is basically a
>centre for discussion, seeks to promote an economic approach that takes
>account of both the essential needs of all mankind and respect for the
>environment.
>The Rome Club has observed a considerable increase in awareness of
>environmental problems since the publication of its first report, entitled
>"The limits of growth", in 1972. However, in a statement issued in Paris,
>the Club emphasizes that policies are often insufficient or non-existent
>and that budgets remain derisory. It draws attention to the extraordinary
>sloth and even the indifference of governments and international
>institutions in dealing with natural catastrophes and disasters caused by
>human activity. Given the meagre results obtained by governments, which
>"clearly have difficulty in dealing with these politically fundamental
>problems", the Rome Club strongly encourages citizens to shoulder their
>responsibilities and play their part, and hopes that scientists and
>politicians will collaborate more closely in future.
>Club officials believe the two overriding priorities for the 21st century
>will the supply of safe drinking water, and action on energy to reduce air
>pollution, particularly in large cities. Among existing emergency
>situations, the Club highlights the case of the Baltic Sea, whose bed is
>littered with submarines and nuclear missiles, and the fires ravaging the
>Amazon rain forest and Indonesia.
>
>OFFICIAL JOURNAL :
>
>NEWS FROM THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL
>(Gill Lacroix) - Items of interest from recent issues of the Official
>Journal of the European Communities :
> - OJ C 95 OF MARCH 30, 1998 : Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee
>on the 'Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending Council Regulation
>(EEC) No 1210/90 of 7 May 1990 on the establishment of the European
>Environment Agency and the European Environment Observation Network'
>- OJ C 91 OF MARCH 26, 1998 : COMMOM POSITION (EC) No 13/98 adopted by the
>Council on 19 December 1997 with a view to the adoption of Council
>Directive 98/.../EC of ... on the quality of
>water intended for human consumption.
>- OJ C 85 OF MARCH 20, 1998 : List of organisations having received
>Community funding for environmental purposes.
>- OJ L 83 OF MARCH 19, 1998 : Council Decision of 9 March 1998 on the
>conclusion, on behalf of the European Community, of the United Nations
>Convention to combat desertification in countries seriously affected by
>drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa.
>
>
>PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL BE NO WEEKLY BULLETIN NEXT WEEK DUE TO THE
>EASTER HOLIDAYS. THE NEXT WEEKLY BULLETIN (n° 13/98) WILL BE PUBLISHED ON
>22nd APRIL.
>
>For more information on these articles, please contact the FoEE
>Information Service at 100717.1155@compuserve.com
>
>NOTE TO READERS : THE FoEE WEEKLY BULLETIN IS AN INTERNAL FRIENDS OF THE
>EARTH EUROPE PUBLICATION
>
>



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