5 August 20242 August 2024 EU renewables compatible with food production, nature protection – and maybe humans As the realities of the EU Green Deal become more apparent, land use has become a hotly debated issue
„Erneuerbare Energien mit Lebensmittelproduktion und Naturschutz vereinbar“ Ein neuer Bericht der NGO Europäisches Umweltbüro (EEB) besagt, dass es in Europa viel Platz für alle diese Ziele gibt, wenn wir die richtigen Entscheidungen treffen
17 April 202415 April 2024 EuRIC, FEAD and NGOs back “polymer-only” allocation method for plastic from chemical recycling Several organisations sent a joint letter to policy officers of the European Commission’s DG Environment last week urging them to consider amending the proposal’s allocation rules
22 March 202418 March 2024 NGOs raise concerns: Bioeconomy leads to further ecosystem exploitation New statement from almost 70 Organisations raises serious concerns over the growing reliance on biomass and biofuels as a response to the climate crisis
9 January 20242 January 2024 EU Policy: Finland and Italy seek to hinder restrictions on single-use packaging Two EU nations threaten to weaken reuse and waste targets ahead of next week's gathering of EU ministers in Brussels
24 October 202317 October 2023 Verpackungsgesetz: EU ringt um Definition von „hochwertigem“ Recycling Umweltorganisationen warnen vor dem Downcycling hochwertiger Materialien zu minderwertigen Produkten, da Papier zur größten Abfallquelle in der EU werden könnte
Definition of ‘high-quality’ recycling takes centre stage in EU packaging law Environmental groups warn against downcycling high-quality materials into lower-quality products, saying paper risks becoming the largest source of packaging waste in the EU
11 July 20236 July 2023 Commission tables proposal for 30% cut in EU food waste by 2030 The European Commission has proposed legally binding targets to reduce food waste by 2030, including a 30% reduction for households, restaurants, and retail, but organisations and lawmakers warn it does not match international ambition to halve food waste
31 March 202329 March 2023 Gesetzgebung gegen Greenwashing: EU will CO₂-Kompensation nicht verbieten Das neue Gesetz gegen Greenwashing erlaubt es Unternehmen, weiterhin klimaneutrale Angaben vorzunehmen, sofern diese bestimmten Transparenzanforderungen entsprechen
EU says ‘not banning carbon offsets’ in greenwashing crackdown New legislation presented by the European Commission on Wednesday (22 March) to clamp down on greenwashing allows businesses to continue making carbon-neutral claims, provided they meet specific transparency requirements
28 March 202328 March 2023 Carbon farming law only ‘first step’ in negative emissions push The EU executive’s proposed legislation on carbon sinks is only the first step in a broader effort to certify negative emissions in agriculture, as well as remunerate and potentially trade them, according to a Commission official
EU-Gesetz zu Carbon Farming nur ‚erster Schritt‘ hin zu CO₂-Senken Die von der EU-Kommission vorgeschlagene Verordnung zu CO2-Senken ist laut einem Kommissionsbeamten lediglich der erste Schritt hin zu dem Ziel, negative Emissionen in der Landwirtschaft zu zertifizieren, zu vergüten und möglicherweise auch zu handeln
14 January 20227 January 2022 How to make the EU’s carbon border tax effective and fair The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) seeks to even the playing field by putting a price on emissions from imported goods, thereby creating an incentive for producers outside the EU to invest in clean technologies
23 November 202117 November 2021 Farmers see chances in carbon farming but must be market-led In practice, by using various agricultural methods ranging from crop rotation, cover crops, and reduced tillage to precision nitrogen application, farmers aim to contribute to tackling climate change
28 September 202127 September 2021 EU aims to tackle waste packaging with new legislation Europe's packaging waste is increasing, with the bloc generating 174.1kg of packaging waste per inhabitant in the EU in 2018
8 June 202116 June 2021 New EU Ecolabel To Tackle Cosmetics Greenwashing European Environmental Bureau has been successfully advocating for extending the EU Ecolabel to all cosmetics with stricter environmental requirements
16 September 202011 September 2020 EU microplastics ban set to make a growing problem worse The typical cast of powerful industrial polluters has secured a loophole that excludes nano, the most dangerous form of microplastic
21 August 202022 August 2020 EU Promotes Greater Global Responsibility on Plastic Waste – But Not for Internal Market Green Groups Denounce Europe's "Do As I Say, Not As I Do" Policy
5 August 20201 August 2020 Chemical Recycling legislation should take a precautionary approach to ensure prevention measures remain at the core of the EU’s Circular Economy promises Janek Vahk blogs about the new joint statement on chemical recycling from the Rethink Plastic alliance, ECOS, Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and Zero Waste Europe
19 March 202016 March 2020 European Commission takes aim at ‘greenwashing’ in new circular economy action plan The EU’s circular economy action plan goes a long way in setting out an agenda on sustainable products
19 December 201917 December 2019 EU chief likens Green New Deal to Europe’s ‘man on the moon’ moment and includes plan for biodegradable plastics framework Under its new circular economy plan, the EC will develop requirements to ensure reusability or recyclability for all packaging in the EU market
9 January 201921 December 2018 Ressourcen-Wende gefordert Das 4. European Resources Forum (ERF) des UBA in Berlin versuchte mehr Aufmerksamkeit für ein vernachlässigtes Thema der Umweltpolitik zu erreichen
17 October 20179 October 2017 Member states seek to water down food waste proposal Member states have been trying to exclude pre-retail food waste from the directive and avoid specific deadlines
EU-Länder wollen Vorschlag gegen Lebensmittelverschwendung verwässern Die Abfälle im sogenannten Pre-Retail-Bereich machen 59 Prozent aller Lebensmittelabfälle in der EU aus
26 September 201713 September 2017 Environmentalists push for ‘fitness check’ and clear goals in the next CAP Environmentalists say the ‘greening’ measures introduced in 2013 are failing to halt biodiversity loss, soil depletion and water pollution
10 February 20178 February 2017 Break Free From Plastic Movement: European Commission Plastics Roadmap not leading anywhere Break Free From Plastic Movement believes that the EU Strategy on Plastics needs to face up to the scale of the plastics problem
4 March 201626 February 2016 Greening the CAP or greenwashing? European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and BirdLife Europe have turned their attention to the second pillar of CAP
19 February 201617 February 2016 Bioenergy is the weakest link in EU renewable energy policy As the Commission closes it public consultation on the future of the EU’s renewable energy policies, their success greatly depends on the questionable sustainability of bioenergy
28 September 201524 September 2015 Burgeoning results from a greener CAP The "greening" of direct payments, a crucial element of the Common Agricultural Policy reforms, came into force at the beginning of the year, but it is still a divisive topic
7 May 20156 May 2015 As EU takes step forward on biofuels, NGOs ask for fundamental reform of all bioenergy policies Cap on biofuels – is a cap on all bioenergy next?
2 April 20152 April 2015 Eine nachhaltige Zukunft für die EU-Landwirtschaft? Politische Entscheidungsträger, Umweltschützer und Forscher diskutieren auf der Konferenz „Eine nachhaltige Zukunft für die EU-Landwirtschaft?“ in Brüssel über nachhaltige Landwirtschaft
A sustainable future for EU farming? Policymakers, environmentalists and researchers discussed sustainable agriculture at the ‘Sustainable future for EU farming?’ conference in Brussels
25 March 201524 March 2015 Ecodesign can drive a circular economy The circular economy has become one of the latest buzzwords in Brussels
23 March 20159 September 2021 Up to 7% of carbon emissions in the ETS escape through loophole – study Reasons to change the zero-rated criteria for biomass in the EU ETS
9 March 20156 March 2015 Commission under pressure over circular economy EXCLUSIVE: The EU is failing to create a circular economy that boosts resource efficiency and protects the environment, an influential report has found, piling pressure on the European Commission to deliver a strong replacement for the package of waste, incineration, landfill and recycling laws it controversially axed as part of its drive for "better regulation"
3 March 20156 May 2015 European Parliament committee agrees to cap first generation biofuels at 6% Mixed feedback from industry and policy makers
2 December 20141 December 2014 Ex-Tory MP entangled in EU plastic bag lobbying row Symphony Environmental Technologies accused to orchestrate an EU blocking minority against her bag ban in the EU Council
1 July 201430 June 2014 Qualms over France’s move to ban plastic bags The French government wants to ban single-use plastic bags by 2016, years ahead of a European directive. But replacing them with biodegradable packaging makes it equally problematic, EurActiv France reports.
11 June 201410 June 2014 EU seeks common framework for Circular Economy Commission to speed up the process with binding targets for recycling and public procurement
11 July 2013 ILUC factors could jeopardise how we measure the carbon footprint of a product More focus and resources should be directed towards proactive mitigation of ILUC effect
4 July 2013 CAP 2014-2020: A long road to reform Many policies won’t be implemented before 2015- thank to intense lobbying
25 February 2013 Historical studies shore up proof of indirect biofuels emissions Current EU proposals mandate a review of scientific evidence for ILUC in 2017