European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
Didier Bourguignon
3 Key Questions on Circular economy
We are used to an economy based on a ‘take-make-consume-throw away’ pattern: this is the linear economy. Continue reading
EU policies – Delivering for citizens: Environmental protection [Policy Podcast]
Through its environmental policy, the European Union (EU) has been improving Europeans’ well-being since 1972. Today, the aim of EU environmental policy is to ensure that by 2050 we are living well, within the limits of the planet. Continue reading
Material use in the European Union: Towards a circular approach
Global material use has tripled during the past four decades, in particular as a result of increasing living standards. The use of materials, which need to be extracted from our environment, can pose environmental challenges. It can also be threatened by resource scarcity and price volatility. Continue reading
Water reuse: Setting minimum requirements [EU Legislation in Progress]
Although freshwater is relatively abundant in the European Union (EU), water stress occurs in many areas, particularly in the Mediterranean region and parts of the Atlantic region, with environmental and economic impacts. Continue reading
Single-use plastics and fishing gear: Reducing marine litter [EU Legislation in Progress]
Most of the plastic in our oceans originates from land-based sources. On European beaches, plastics make up 80-85 % of marine litter, which is considered a major threat to marine and coastal biodiversity. Marine litter also costs the European Union economy an estimated €259 million to €695 million per year. Continue reading
Approval of glyphosate: Latest developments
Glyphosate, one of the world’s most widely used active substances in herbicides, has become the subject of controversy. Continue reading
EU fertilising products [EU Legislation in Progress]
Fertilising products are used to improve plant growth, mainly in agriculture, enabling higher crop yields. However, they are associated with some challenges as regards security of supply, the environment and health. Continue reading
Motor vehicles: New approval and market surveillance rules [EU Legislation in Progress]
In September 2015, the Volkswagen (VW) case highlighted weaknesses in the implementation of type-approval rules for motor vehicles in the European Union, in particular as regards standards on emissions of air pollutants and carbon dioxide. Continue reading
Plastics and the circular economy [Policy Podcast]
Written by Didier Bourguignon, Plastics are everywhere in our daily life: they are used in packaging, buildings, cars, electronics, agriculture, and other sectors. Plastics production is now 20 times higher than in the 1960s, and is forecast to almost quadruple by 2050. Although there are thousands of types of plastics, 90 % of plastics are derived … Continue reading
Circular economy package: Four legislative proposals on waste [EU Legislation in Progress]
Written by Didier Bourguignon (7th edition), Updated on 4.7.2018 Although waste management in the EU has improved considerably in recent decades, over a quarter of municipal waste is still landfilled and less than half is recycled or composted, with wide variations between Member States. Improving waste management could deliver positive effects for the environment, climate, … Continue reading
Environmental protection: an opportunity for a better future
Written by Didier Bourguignon. Green Week, an annual event on European environment policy, takes place from 29 May to 2 June 2017. This year’s edition will focus on ‘Green jobs for a greener future’. The potential of green jobs According to a recent Eurobarometer survey for the European Parliament, the ‘fight against unemployment’ and ‘environmental protection’ rank in … Continue reading
Mercury: Aligning EU legislation with Minamata [EU Legislation in Progress]
Written by Didier Bourguignon (6th edition), The United Nations’ Minamata Convention on mercury was agreed in 2013 with a view to protecting human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury. Although mercury use has declined significantly in recent decades, mercury released into the air, water and land remains a serious threat to … Continue reading
Plastics in a circular economy: Opportunities and challenges
Written by Didier Bourguignon, Plastics pervade modern life; plastics production has been growing exponentially since the 1960s and is expected to double by 2036. Although there are over 1 000 types of plastic, 90 % of plastics are derived from virgin fossil fuels. In Europe, post-consumer plastic waste is either incinerated with energy recovery (39 %), landfilled (31 %) or … Continue reading
Circular economy: animated infographic
Written by Didier Bourguignon, Jana Valant, Christian Dietrich and Mitja Brus. In a circular economy, products and the materials they contain are highly valued. This contrasts with the traditional, linear economic model, which is based on a ‘take-make-consume-throw away’ pattern. In practice, a circular economy minimises waste through reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials … Continue reading
Reducing air pollution: National emission ceilings for air pollutants [EU Legislation in Progress]
Written by Didier Bourguignon (6th edition) Despite significant progress in recent decades, air pollution levels in the European Union still have adverse impacts on the environment and on health. The European Commission estimates that health-related costs of air pollution in the EU range from 390 to 940 billion euros per year. The proposed directive, which … Continue reading
National emission ceilings for air pollutants [Plenary Podcast]
Written by Didier Bourguignon, Despite improvements in recent decades, air pollution in Europe remains a concern. To address this, in 2013 the European Commission proposed to update and expand the National Emission Ceilings Directive. First-reading negotiations with the Council of the European Union delivered a compromise, which now awaits a vote in the European Parliament’s … Continue reading
Fertilisers in the EU: Uneven terrain
Written by Marc Hall in cooperation with Didier Bourguignon, European agriculture is in the midst of a crisis, with low prices and import bans by Russia putting farmers under pressure. The price of inputs is also increasing, among them fertilisers, organic or synthesised compounds that provide nutrients to plants. Fertilisers, particularly inorganic varieties, are widely … Continue reading
Chernobyl 30 years on: impact and response
Written by Didier Bourguignon, In the early hours of 26 April 1986, an incident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and subsequent explosions released nuclear radioactive material into the atmosphere. Some 600 000 people took part in the containment operations and around 350 000 people were displaced in the years following the accident. Radioactive material was scattered … Continue reading
Renewing authorisation for glyphosate
Written by Didier Bourguignon, A scientific controversy has recently erupted over diverging assessments of the carcinogenicity of glyphosate, one of the world’s most widely used active substances in herbicides. Against this backdrop, the European Commission has proposed to renew the authorisation of glyphosate for 15 years. A motion for a resolution adopted by the ENVI Committee … Continue reading
Closing the loop: New circular economy package
Written by Didier Bourguignon Unlike the traditional linear economic model based on a ‘take-make-consume-throw away’ pattern, a circular economy is based on sharing, leasing, reuse, repair, refurbishment and recycling, in an (almost) closed loop, where products and the materials they contain are highly valued. In practice, it implies reducing waste to a minimum. Moving towards … Continue reading
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