| |
| EU Dimension |
| The First Series of
BREFs Finalised and the Reviews On Track |
| SERGE
ROUDIER, Administrator, Acting Head of the European IPPC Bureau, European Commission |
| Early in 2007, the European IPPC Bureau (EIPPCB) finalised
the BREF on Surface Treatment using Organic Solvents, the last of an initial series
of 32 documents elaborated in the framework of implementation of the Integrated
Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive (96/61/EC). This marks
a major achievement for the EIPPCB. It was created about ten years ago in order
to elaborate reference documents on Best Available Techniques (BAT) – the BAT
Reference Documents (BREFs) – in order to fulfill the obligation of the Commission
stipulated in Article 16(2) of the IPPC Directive. During the last ten years,
over 1,200 experts representing Member States, industry and environmental non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) from all over Europe, led by EIPPCB staff worked on these
32 BREF documents. These documents are of the utmost importance both for
industry and environmental regulators in the EU since they contain conclusions
on what are considered to be BAT for all the industrial and agricultural sectors
covered by the Directive... |
| | Plan
of Action | | PAUL VAN HEYNINGEN, Head of the Eco-Innovation
Branch, Sustainable Consumption and Production and Waste, Defra | The
European Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP) brings together a range
of existing and proposed actions to stimulate innovation and address barriers
that make it difficult for environmental technologies to achieve successful market
penetration in the European Union. It uses the ‘open method of co-ordination’
to exchange best practice between EU countries, and to develop indicators, guidelines
and other tools to achieve its aims. Since its launch in 2004, EU Member
States have produced national ‘roadmaps’ showing how their own activity contributes
to the implementation of ETAP, to make it easier to share ideas. The UK roadmap,
drawing together existing work from all levels of government, was published in
December 2005. |
| | Europe
and Climate Care | | DAVID BALDOCK, Director, and
Martina Herodes, Policy Analyst, at the Institute for European Environmental Policy
| | Environmental issues are enjoying remarkable prominence
in media and political debates throughout Europe – but how does this interest
translate into one of the main motors of change – EU environmental policy? We
explain which EU policies are likely to have the greatest impact on the conditions
for doing business in the near future. The range is wide, from broad climate strategies
to more detailed measures on waste... | |
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