Eurobrief June 2011

The Energy Roadmap 2050 was rejected during an Environment Council Meeting earlier this month largely because of strong opposition from the Polish Government, which will assume the rotating European Presidency in July. Poland refused to back the document mentioning a possible 25% reduction target.

The Council conclusions on the Energy Efficiency Plan 2011, which were recently adopted in the Energy Council, set out a number of policy options designed to help deliver the EU’s 2020 20% energy efficiency objective. The Council conclusions address the public sector, buildings, industry and the energy sector, transport and ways to support favourable consumer choices.

The Council conclusions on the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 were adopted earlier this month in the Environment Council. The Council endorsed the Strategy and discussed issues such as green infrastructures, protected areas, Natura 2000 and promoting the use of the innovative financial mechanisms in support of biodiversity policy objectives.

A European Commission study designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the total costs for biodiversity and ecosystem actions in the European Union was recently carried out. The study attempted to develop a general cost typology in order to facilitate a comparison of results from different cost assessments.

On 21 June, the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) adopted its draft opinion on an Effective Raw Materials Strategy for Europe by rapporteur Judith Merkies (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Netherlands) from the lead Committee in the European Parliament, Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE).

A report prepared by a number of leading international agencies including the World Bank, the World Trade Organisation and the UN argues that government subsidies to promote the use of biofuels should be eliminated.

The latest Eurobarometer survey on Attitudes of European citizens towards the environment was published in June. The survey found that 79% of respondents believe that corporations and industry do not enough to use natural resources efficiently.