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Added to Case Law, ECJ
C-66/06 Commission vs. Ireland
ECJ 20-11-2008, not yet reported
The Court ruled that Ireland did not transpose properly Articles 2(2) and 4(2), (3) and (4) of Council Directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment. The ECJ d that the Irish legislation did not comply with the Directive in terms of determining which projects must be subject to an environmental impact assessment, in particular in relation to certain types of agricultural development projects or fish-farming projects.
Sector: EIA
Added to Sectors, Air
* 8th COP Vienna Convention and 20th MOP Montreal Protocol
On 21 November 2008 the 8th Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention and the 20th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer took place in Doha, Quatar. The governments participating at the event agreed on the gradual phase-out of hydrofluorocarbons (HCFCs). Delegates suggested and agreed that the establishment of a closer link between the Montreal Protocol and the UNFCCC/Kyoto Protocol would be beneficial.
Added to Sectors, Climate Change
* Commission analyses carbon leakage of industries
The European Commission presented a non-paper containing the first results of a quantitative analysis carried out on energy intensive industries exposed to a significant risk of carbon leakage (loss of competitiveness). The survey was based on the methodology adopted on 26 September 2008, with the backing of the stakeholders, the European Parliament and the Council. The non-paper has two annexes: one contains a detailed overview of products’ results while the second indicates the availability of the necessary data for each sector. The analysis is aimed at identifying which sectors can potentially suffer from carbon leakage and consequently receive EU allowances for free under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
Added to Sectors, Energy
* EEA Report 2008/6 Energy and environment report 2008
On 20 November 2008 the European Environment Agency published the Energy and environment report for 2008. The report analyses six main policy areas and compares the activities of the European in this areas with those of other countries. According to the EEA, a substantial change in the EU energy policy strategy is needed, in order to avoid that energy consumption in the EU will rise by 26 per cent until 2030. The report indicates that the EU commitment to a 20% per cent share of renewables by 2020 is a good starting point, but on the long-term, a decrease of primary energy consumption is necessary.
Added to Sectors, Water
* Maritime spatial planning guidance
On 25 November 2008 the European Commission adopted a new policy paper with the title “Roadmap for Maritime Spatial Planning: Achieving Common Principles in the EU” (COM(2008)791). The document is part of the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy and aims at ensuring sustainable growth of the sector. Furthermore, the paper focuses on the adverse effects of climate change in the maritime sector, such as rising sea levels, floods and change in marine ecosystems. As a follow-up, several workshops will be organised and pilot projects will be up on the topic in 2009.
The following national pages have been d: Poland and the United Kingdom
Notably, the following information was introduced:
Added to National pages, Poland
* Effects of the climate package on the Polish economy
The Gdansk Institute for Market Economics presented a response paper to the report of the Polish Electricity Association on the impact of the European Commission’s Energy and Climate Package on the Polish energy system, economy and households. The study, published in June 2008, warned of an annual recess in Poland’s economy by a rate between 0.3 to 1.3 per cent and suggested to reduce Poland’s 2020 renewable energy target from 15 to 12.5 per cent. The Gdansk Institute argues that the report was wrongly based on the assumption that meeting the renewable energy target is the sole burden of the electricity sector and energy efficiency would not play a role. The Institute notes that economic benefits stemming from using renewable energy were completely disregarded.
Added to National Pages, UK
* Lengthy environmental chapter of UK pre-budget report
On 24 November 2008 UK finance minister Alistair Darling presented the 2008 pre-budget report, which gives the Government’s assessment on the country’s economic and budgetary position and future tax and spending regime in light of social, economic and environmental objectives. In the chapter containing the environmental implications of the report, with reference to the economic uncertainty, the Government abandoned plans to introduce a new environmental tax for each flight instead of the current passenger duty. In total, a budget of GBP535m (E636m) is dedicated to bring about low-carbon growth and create employment opportunities in the environmental field.
Added to Events
* Working with Impact Assessment in the European
The emphasis of the seminar is directed towards offering participants a practical understanding of this increasingly important policy-development tool. Given the wide range of policy areas for which the European Commission is now applying its approach to Impact Assessment, attendance at the seminar will be important for officials from most Ministries and agencies who have responsibility for following policy dossiers at the EU level.
Location: Maastricht, The Netherlands
Date: 3-5 December 2008
* Environmental Investments Forum
Attend this one-day participatory event to debate in detail the investment opportunities in the environmental markets. Hear top-level investment specialists including a keynote address from David Blood, Senior Partner, Generation Investment Management.
Location: London, UK
Date: 9 December 2008
* 3rd International Conference on Integration of Renewable and Distributed Energy Resources
This conference will address technical, market, and regulatory issues as a prerequisite to prepare massive DER integration into power grids, thus leaning on a continuous dialogue between all the involved players. The conference will gather scientists, utility operators, manufacturers, regulators, and policy makers.
Location: 10-12 December 2008
Date: Nice, France
*Climate Change and Energy Security: Major Challenges of European Energy Policy
The Institute of European Studies and the Law Faculty of the University of Leuven in cooperation with the Energy Law Research Forum organize this two days event focusing on the analysis of the geopolitical and legal aspects of climate change and energy security.
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Date: 15-16 December 2008
Added to Vacancies
* International Maritime Organization (IMO) – Head, Asia and Pacific Section, P-5
Under the immediate supervision of the Director, Technical Co-operation Division, the successful candidate will work in close co-operation with countries and entities working in the Asia and Pacific region and provide technical expertise in the development, implementation and assessment of projects and programmes in the region.
Location: London, UK
Deadline: 15 December 2008
* Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) – Forestry Officer Forest Assessment and Reporting
The incumbent will regularly assess user needs and expectations with regard to information on forest resources, products and institutions as well as opportunities to enhance data collection and dissemination through internal or external partnerships and provide advice and technical assistance to countries for the elaboration of national reports for the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) programme, as requested participate in the coordination and implementation of special studies related to the Forest Assessment and Reporting programme.
Location: Rome, Italy
Deadline: 5 January 2009
* United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Legal Officer, P3
Within UNEP’s Division of Environmental Law and Conventions (DELC), the incumbent will contribute to the legal elements of the work programme of the Environmental Law Branch and to the trade and environment element of the work programme of UNEP.
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Deadline: 27 January 2009
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Editors-in-Chief:
Wybe Th. Douma (T.M.C. Asser Institute, The Hague)
Jens Hamer (Court of First Instance of the European Community, Luxemburg)*
* All views expressed are entirely personal and can in no way be attributed to the CFI or ECJ
Editors:
Leonardo Massai (T.M.C. Asser Institute, The Hague)
Marianna Kondas (T.M.C. Asser Institute, The Hague)
Technical realisation:
Marco van der Harst (T.M.C. Asser Institute, The Hague)
e-mail: eelnewsservices@asser.nl