*************************************************Advertisement***************************************************
38th Asser Colloquium on European Law
“Integrating Climate and Energy policy in the EU”
23-24 October 2008, Province of South-Holland, The Hague
The 38th Asser Colloquium on European Law is dedicated to the different legal and policy questions arising in the European and in the global context with regard to climate and energy. Among other issues, the following points will be addressed during the colloquium:
- Legal implications of climate and energy policy
- Relation between climate change and energy measures
- Distribution of commitments within the EU
- Energy security and energy supply issues
- Common but differentiated responsibilities within and outside the EU
- Role of market based instruments
- Acting regionally / nationally / at the EU level – what are the hurdles?
- Harmonisation of climate and energy policy and law within Europe
- Aviation and climate change
- EU position on the international debate on the future of the Kyoto Protocol
- EU commitments and third countries.
Further details: www.asser.nl/acel
For more information please contact:
Marianna Kondas, Phone: +31 70 3 420 822 E-mail: m.kondas@asser.nl
Leonardo Massai, Phone: +31 70 3 420 309 E-mail: l.massai@asser.nl
********************************************************************************************************************
Added to Sectors, General
* Wording of directive on green crime published
The final text of the directive on the protection of the environment through criminal law was published on 12 August 2008 by the Council. The directive awaits the government’s official approval and the publication in the Official Journal in September. According to the Directive Member States have to penalise environmental-damaging activities committed intentionally or at least with serious negligence, if they are likely to cause death or serious injury, with “effective, proportionate and dissuasive criminal penalties”. Sanctionable activities include shipping waste, handling radioactive materials, killing or trading wildlife, damaging habitats and producing or selling ozone-depleting substances. Member States will have two years time to transpose the directive into national legislation.
* Environmental Protection Agency leaders call for more effective regulation
A report prepared in April 2008 by the Network of Heads of European Environment Protection Agencies with the title “Improving the Effectiveness of EU Environmental Regulation – A Future Vision” was released on 10 July 2008. The document’s basic argument is that EU environmental regulation is too complex with partly overlapping and inconsistent requirements. The leaders of the agencies urge the Commission to develop and adopt a long-term vision and strategy for a more effective environmental regulation, including a simple, transparent and consolidated legal framework.
Added to Sectors, Climate Change
* “UN Climate Change Talks – Accra, 2008”
On 21 August 2008 the latest round of climate talks begun under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Acra, Ghana. The third major round of UNFCCC climate change negotiations is the last one before the high-level talks scheduled in the period 1-12 December 2008 in Poznan, Poland. The Accra meeting focuses on further commitments of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. Also, for the first time, participants will jointly address the issues of finance and technology transfer needed to promote initiatives aimed at the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions all around the planet.
Added to Sectors, Energy
* Expert group works on sustainable biofuel standards
The Steering Board of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB), an international expert group supported by the United Nations, presented its draft sustainability criteria for the production of biofuels on 13 August 2008. The standards are called “Version Zero” and are hoped to be used by investors, governments, corporations and civil society.
The following national pages have been d: Denmark, Spain and Romania
Notably, the following recent information was introduced:
Added to National Pages, Denmark
* Denmark finds climate measures compatible with economic growth
On 21 August 2008 the Danish government published a report called “Growth, climate and competitiveness”, which assesses Denmark’s performance in the achievement of its commitments to combat climate change while ensuring economic growth. The outcome of the report is positive: production increase is possible with carbon emissions remaining constant, and with minimal effect to profitability. Measures targeting energy efficiency have also proven to be efficient.
Added to National pages, Spain
* Spanish action plan on desertification
On 19 August 2008 the Spanish action programme to combat desertification entered into force. The programme is intended to tackle the problem of desertification which is affecting one third of Spain’s surface area it contains measures of reforestation, control of grazing and improved water management.
Added to National Pages, Romania
* Ukrainian project threatening Romanian wildlife cancelled
On 18 August 2008 the Romanian Ministry for Foreign affairs was pleased to announce that Ukraine abandoned its plans to extend the Bystroe shipping canal in the Danube delta. Earlier Romania expressed concerns regarding the effects of the project for the wildlife of the delta, most of which belongs to Romanian territory.
News and events
Added to Events
Umweltschutz und Stiftungen – Environmental protection and Foundations (in German)
The main forcus of the conference – organised by Lexxion Publishing with the help of the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU) – is on the connection between environmental protection and the operation of foundations. The conference will be held in German.
Location: Osnabrueck, Germany
Date: 3 September 2008
Private Environmental Regimes: Challenges for Governance
With globalisation, the ‘rules of the game’ of international problem-solving through intergovernmental treaties is changing. A number of different trends in international environmental governance involving non-state actors are becoming visible. The workshop will address the current challenges of environmental regimes.
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Date: 5 September 2008
Added to Vacancies
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Programme Officer, P-4
Within the Division of Environmental Policy Implementation (DEPI), the successful candidate will be responsible for policy analysis and development, management of UNEP’s policy involvement in Post-Conflict Needs Assessments of the United Nations Development Group and carry out programme planning, coordination and advisory, liaison and representational work.
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Deadline: 22 September 2008
World Health Organization (WHO) – Head, Non-Communicable Diseases and Environment Unit, P-6
The Head of Unit will provide leadership and managerial oversight to the work of all Unit staff irrespective of location (in Copenhagen and in geographically dispersed offices) to ensure adequate contribution of the Unit staff to the expected results and Strategic Objectives (SOs). S/he will facilitate the internal communications and exchange of information, the personal and professional development of all Unit’s staff.
Location: Copenhagen Denmark
Deadline: 23 September 2008
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Senior Programme Officer, P-5
Within UNEP’s Division of Regional Cooperation (DRC), the incumbent will coordinate a harmonised and coherent development and implementation of UNEP programmes and projects in the Africa region to better respond to priority environment and development challenges, and coordinate UNEP inputs in the One UN pilots, UNDAF and other common- country programming processes in Africa under the Delivering as One Framework.
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Deadline: 10 October 2008
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Scientific Affairs Officer, P-3
The Scientific Affairs Officer within the Division of Environmental Policy Implementation (DEPI) will develop programmes and projects, consult and negotiates with designated national authorities, United Nations agencies, organisations and consultants in the development of projects and their implementation. Further, he/she will co-ordinate and monitor the projects in their implementation, co-ordinate the reporting on the project activities and prepare reports as well as other appropriate project outputs such as manuals, guidelines, and reports of meetings/workshops, etc. for publication.
Location: Busan, South Korea
Deadline: 17 October 2008
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Senior Programme Officer, P-5
The Senior Programme Officer will, within UNEP’s Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA), take the lead to develop and evaluate projects carried out by UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) for UNEP: provide guidance in programme/project development and implementation monitor, report and evaluate projects identify priorities, problems and issues to be addressed and propose corrective actions liaise with relevant parties identify and initiate follow up actions.
Location: Cambridge, UK
Deadline: 19 October 2008
***************************************************************************
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