European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
environmental policy
Sustainable finance and benchmarks: Low-carbon benchmarks and positive-carbon-impact benchmarks [EU Legislation in Progress]
In May 2018, the European Commission presented a package of measures on the financing of sustainable growth. The package includes three proposals aimed at establishing an EU taxonomy on sustainable economic activities, improving disclosure requirements and creating a new category of benchmarks to help investors measure the carbon footprint of their investments. Continue reading
Climate change [What Think Tanks are thinking]
The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has urged governments worldwide on March 28 to come to the UN summit on climate in September 2019 with concrete plans to boost action against global warming.The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has urged governments worldwide on March 28 to come to the UN summit on climate in September 2019 with concrete plans to boost action against global warming. Continue reading
European Parliament Plenary Session, January II 2019
The first item on the agenda for this week’s part-session is a formal sitting on Wednesday to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In remembering the fate of the millions of Europeans who suffered between 1933 and 1945, Parliament has made its position clear that racism and xenophobia are not opinions but crimes. Continue reading
Climate change [What Think Tanks are thinking]
World leaders are preparing for the ‘COP 24’ summit on tackling climate change in Katowice, Poland, in December, which is meant to debate how to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement. 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
Plenary round-up – Strasbourg, October I 2018
The highlight of the October I plenary session was the debate on the preparation of the European Council meeting on 18 and 19 October 2018. Continue reading
Plenary round-up – Strasbourg, September 2018
The highlight of September’s plenary session was the State of the Union speech by the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, announcing a number of legislative proposals to come by the end of the Commission’s mandate. 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
Plenary round-up – Strasbourg, June 2018
The June plenary session highlights were the continuation of the debate on the future of Europe with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, and the preparation of the European Council meeting of 28 and 29 June 2018. Continue reading
Palm oil: economic and environmental impacts
Economical and versatile, palm oil has become the world’s most widely used vegetable oil. However, its production comes at a heavy environmental cost, especially in Indonesia and Malaysia, the two main producers. Efforts to make its production more sustainable still have a long way to go. Continue reading
CO2 standards for new cars and vans [EU Legislation in Progress]
In November 2017, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation on reducing CO2 emissions from new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (vans). The proposed measures and targets are aligned with the 2030 climate and energy framework and with the energy union strategy, which envisages a reduction in transport emissions and energy consumption. Continue reading
Review of the Clean Vehicles Directive [EU Legislation in Progress]
In November 2017, the European Commission proposed a revision of Directive 2009/33/EC on the promotion of clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles (the Clean Vehicles Directive), after an evaluation showed that the directive had yielded limited results, for instance by not encouraging a more significant uptake of clean vehicles in the market overall. Continue reading
COP 23: Climate change talks [What Think Tanks are thinking]
Representatives of nearly 200 countries started 11 days of talks on 6 November in Bonn, Germany, on how to further implement the 2015 Paris Agreement on tackling climate change. The United Nations’ climate meeting, COP 23, is part of global efforts to cut emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Continue reading
Drinking Water Directive
Written by Ivana Kiendl Kristo, The Drinking Water Directive (DWD) sets quality standards for drinking water and requires that Member States ensure monitoring and compliance with these standards. By and large, it has been successful, best exemplified by the high, and increasing, levels of compliance across the European Union (EU) with the microbiological, chemical and … 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
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
Resource efficiency: Reducing food waste, improving food safety [Plenary Podcast]
Written by Ivana Katsarova, As part of its action plan on the circular economy, the EU is aiming to give substance to a more efficient use of resources by reducing food waste and increasing food security. The European Parliament is due to vote in May 2017 on an own-initiative report proposing measures to cut the … Continue reading
Towards a stronger EU emissions trading system [Plenary Podcast]
Written by Gregor Erbach, In July 2015, the European Commission proposed a reform of the EU emissions trading system (ETS) for the 2021-2030 period. The proposed directive introduces tighter limits on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to achieve the EU’s 2030 climate targets, while protecting energy-intensive industries from the risk of ‘carbon leakage’. The Parliament is … Continue reading
Environmental Implementation Review
Written by Anne Altmayer, Launched by the European Commission in 2016, the Environmental Implementation Review (EIR) is aimed at providing an overview of how well Member States are implementing EU environmental law and at helping them if they are struggling. The Commission says that insufficient and uneven implementation causes damage to the environment and human … Continue reading
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