EU Environment Policy

Latest news on the environment policies of the European Union.

Restriction of Hazardous Substances EU Directive — 27 October 2006, 12:40 CET

RoHS is the acronym for Restriction of Hazardous Substances, the European Union (EU) directive (Directive 2002/95/EC) which bans new electrical and electronic equipment from being placed on the EU market if they contain more than agreed levels of certain hazardous substances.

Restriction of Hazardous Substances EU Directive — 27 October 2006, 12:20 CET

RoHS is the acronym for Restriction of Hazardous Substances, a new European Union (EU) directive (Directive 2002/95/EC) which will ban new electrical and electronic equipment from being placed on the EU market if they contain more than agreed levels of certain hazardous substances. Its objective is to provide incentives for designing electrical and electronic equipment in an environmentally more efficient way, which takes waste management aspects fully into account. The RoHS directive applies to any manufacturer of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) to be released on the EU market. This applies to manufacturers inside the EU member states and manufacturers outside of Europe wishing to export their products to the EU market.

Clean Air for Europe (CAFE) — 24 September 2006, 13:13 CET

Clean Air for Europe (CAFE) was launched in March 2001 with a Communication (COM(2001)245)). CAFE is a programme of technical analysis and policy development that underpinned the development of the Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution under the Sixth Environmental Action Programme.

European Maritime Safety Agency — 14 September 2006, 16:47 CET

The European Maritime Safety Agency, created in the aftermath of the Erika disaster, will contribute to the enhancement of the overall maritime safety system in the Community. Its goals are, through its tasks, to reduce the risk of maritime accidents, marine pollution from ships and the loss of human lives at sea.

Quality of bathing water — 22 January 2007, 19:59 CET

2005 bathing season : summary report

Search for chemicals companies in Europe — 19 October 2010, 23:16 CET

Chemicals and pharmaceuticals companies in Europe

Environment in the European Union — 24 August 2006, 17:54 CET

Protecting the environment is essential for the quality of life of current and future generations. The challenge is to combine this with continuing economic growth in a way which is sustainable over the long term. European Union environment policy is based on the belief that high environmental standards stimulate innovation and business opportunities.

EU Fisheries Policy — 24 August 2006, 21:25 CET

The EU fishing industry is a major source of employment and food. It is therefore important to prevent over-fishing by some to the detriment of all. The European Union has a common fisheries policy (CFP) in order to manage the industry for the benefit of both fishing communities and consumers.

GMOs and the EU — 03 January 2007, 18:20 CET

Latest documents and legislation on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) - EC food safety site

European Environment Agency (EEA) — 03 June 2014, 15:22 CET

The task of the European Environment Agency (EEA) - an agency of the EU - is to provide sound, independent information on the environment. Currently, the EEA has 33 member countries. EEA's mandate is: To help the Community and member countries make informed decisions about improving the environment, integrating environmental considerations into economic policies and moving towards sustainability; To coordinate the European environment information and observation network (Eionet). Main clients are the European Union institutions - the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council - and our member countries.

EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) — 31 May 2018, 20:59 CET

The CFP is a set of rules for managing European fishing fleets and for conserving fish stocks. Designed to manage a common resource, it gives all European fishing fleets equal access to EU waters and fishing grounds and allows fishermen to compete fairly.

Chemicals, industrial risk and biotechnology — 08 August 2006, 10:39 CET

Chemicals, industrial risk and biotechnology - EU legislation in force (EUR-Lex)

European cosmetics industry — 03 January 2007, 18:44 CET

The European cosmetics industry has a value of output of more than EUR 35 billion; is highly innovative, with major cosmetic companies replacing or reformulating around 25% of their products every year; and employs over 150.000 Europeans directly, with a further 350.000 jobs created indirectly in retail, distribution and transport. The main regulatory framework which aims at ensuring the free circulation of cosmetic products in the internal market and safeguarding the safety of cosmetic products placed on the EU-market is the Council Directive 76/768 of 27 July 1976 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to cosmetic products ("Cosmetics Directive").

Environment DG — 07 August 2006, 18:04 CET

Portal to the European Commission Environment services

Eco-label — 07 August 2006, 18:03 CET

The European Eco-label is a voluntary scheme enabling European consumers including public and private purchasers to easily identify officially approved green products across the European Union. It allows producers to show and communicate to their customers that their products respect the environment. A general description of the scheme is available as well as background information.

EU Directive on Dangerous Substances — 07 August 2006, 17:54 CET

Ehe EU Directive on Dangerous Substances was a response to a need to ensure the protection of public health, in particular the health of workers handling dangerous substances.

REACH - New EU Chemicals Legislation — 06 August 2006, 10:42 CET

On 29 October 2003, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a new EU regulatory framework for chemicals. Under the proposed new system called REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of CHemicals), companies that manufacture or import more than one tonne of a chemical substance per year would be required to register it in a central database. The aims of the proposed new Regulation are to improve the protection of human health and the environment while maintaining the competitiveness and enhancing the innovative capability of the EU chemicals industry. REACH would in addition give greater responsibility to industry to manage the risks from chemicals and to provide safety information on the substances. This information would be passed down the chain of production. The proposal is being considered by the European Parliament and the EU’s Council of Ministers for adoption under the so-called co-decision procedure.

EU policies on new and renewable energies — 05 August 2006, 23:12 CET

New and Renewable Energies - European Commission web site. The development of renewable energy - particularly energy from wind, water, solar power and biomass - is a central aim of the European Commission's energy policy.

EU Water Framework Directive — 05 August 2006, 22:53 CET

The EU Water Framework Directive - integrated river basin management for Europe: on 23 October 2000, the "Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for the Community action in the field of water policy" was finally adopted.

Kyoto Protocol - full text — 05 August 2006, 21:59 CET

In December 1997, more than 160 nations met in Kyoto, Japan, to negotiate binding limitations on greenhouse gases for the developed nations, pursuant to the objectives of the Framework Convention on Climate Change of 1992. The outcome of the meeting was the Kyoto Protocol, in which the developed nations agreed to limit their greenhouse gas emissions, relative to the levels emitted in 1990. The Kyoto Protocol lays the ground for the international community to take the first steps in curbing harmful greenhouse emissions and combating climate change.

Bathing water quality 2005 — 31 July 2006, 19:24 CET

Annual report, 2005 bathing season: summary, country reports and map of beaches throughout Europe.

Concentrating Solar Power — 31 July 2006, 18:33 CET

Main New and Renewable Energies projects supported by the European Commission