Dear members of the EEL Network,

We are happy to present this issue of the EEL News Service.

Also, we’d like to point out we are looking for a new INTERN at the T.M.C. Asser Institute in The Hague to help out with this News Service, the website and other activities relating to EU environmental law. For information on this position, please contact via e-mail.

Registration for our 23 April event “Better Regulation in the EU revisited. Improving the European Union for the benefit of business and
citizens” has been closed as the maximum capacity has been reached.

Furthermore, all information about our Asser Summer Programme on
International & European Environmental Law: The Future we Choose (24-28
August 2015), can be found here.

Happy Easter!

Wybe Th. Douma
Senior Researcher EU Law / International Trade Law
T.M.C. Asser Institute
e-mail w.t.douma@asser.nl

General

European Commission Press Release: Commission refers Germany to Court over coal power plant in Moorburg (26/03/2015)
The European Commission is taking Germany to Court over its failure to apply the requirements of the Habitats Directive in relation to the authorisation of a coal power plant in Hamburg/Moorburg.

Euobserver Article: How has controversial climate commissioner Canete done so far? (01/06/2015)
I has been a little over six months since Canete was questioned by members of the European Parliament at a confirmation hearing to become the EU’s energy and climate action commissioner. Has has he done so far?

Air

EurActiv Article: Traffic-related air pollution linked to type 1 diabetes in children (24/03/2015)
Several studies have already linked the likelihood of death by respiratory and circulatory illness to the level of fine dust particles in the air. Air pollution poses the biggest environment-related health risk.

EurActiv Article: UK faces European court over coal plant emissions(27/03/2015)
Brussels will haul the UK into court for breaching emissions limits of the toxic pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NOx) at its coal-fired Aberthaw power plant in Wales.

Also see:

▪ European Commission Press Realease – Commission takes the United Kingdom to Court over power plant emissions (26/03/2015)

Euobserver Article: France, UK trying to weaken EU air pollution law(27/03/2015)
The problem of air pollution became visible recently in two of Europe’s largest capitals, with London and Paris covered by thick clouds of smog in March. However, while those cities’ mayors have proposed measures to tackle the issue, the governments that reside in the two capitals are attempting to water down stricter EU limits.

European Voice Article: Zurich first, Luxembourg last in air pollution ranking (31/03/2015)
Zurich leads the ranking of major European cities with the best clean air this year, while Berlin drops from first to fifth place.

Also see:

▪ EurActiv Article – Luxembourg and Lisbon prop up air pollution list(31/03/2015)

Chemicals

NU.nl Article (in Dutch): Meldplicht voor incidenten gevaarlijke stoffen niet nageleefd (29/03/2015)
Ernstige incidenten tijdens het vervoer van levensgevaarlijke stoffen worden niet altijd gemeld, terwijl dat wettelijk verplicht is. Het gaat om stoffen die in kleine hoeveelheden gevaarlijk zijn voor mens en milieu.

Climate Change

UACES Blog Entry: Policy Entrepreneurs: Key Players in Bottom-up Climate Policy (18/03/2015)
“As the top-down, United-Nations driven target setting approach to international climate through the Kyoto Protocol approach has increasingly been called into question, many have begun to highlight the advantage of bottom-up approaches. […]”

EurActiv Article: COP 21 national contributions behind schedule, France warns (19/03/2015)
The countries involved in the COP 21 climate negotiations in Paris this year are running late with the submission of their national plans, which are due by the end of March.

Also see:

▪ EurActiv Article – Maldives: Many islands will disappear, despite COP 21 agreement (26/03/2015)
▪ Euobserver Article – Most countries ignore EU’s climate homework deadline (01/04/2015)

EurActiv Article: Biomass’ ‘zero’ ETS rating burns us all (19/03/2015)
We have no idea if the biomass burned actually reduces CO2 emissions, which raises questions about the energy source’s zero rating in the EU’s Emissions Trading System, writes Carlos Calvo Ambel.

EurActiv Article: Natural disaster reduction agreement a ‘disappointment’(23/03/2015)
International negotiations on disaster risk reduction ended on Wednesday 18 March with a disappointing agreement, despite the recent drama in Vanuatu. Some have seen this as a bad omen for this year’s UN climate negotiations.

EurActiv Article: Fossil fuels must stay in ground – but be realistic, Chris Smith says (30/03/2015)
Significant quantities of known coal and tar sands reserves will need to be kept in the ground to avoid the worst climate change impacts, the former chief of the UK Environment Agency has said.

EurActiv Article: Germany’s CO2 emissions decrease for the first time in 3 years (01/04/2015)
Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks spoke of a trend reversal, as overall greenhouse gas emissions were observed decreasing again for the first time in 3 years. But in the agriculture and transport sectors, the trend is quite the opposite.

EurActiv Article: WWF: Irresponsible food consumption fuels global climate change (02/04/2015)
Conservation organisation WWF says Germany’s eating habits are “fuel to the fire” for global climate change, with severe consequences for food security in developing countries.

Energy

EurActiv Article: Renewable island director: We need the opposite of Energy Union (16/03/2015)
Decentralisation is the key to energy success and development, Søren Hermansen said in an exclusive interview with EurActiv. Instead of focusing on Putin’s gas, the EU should create its own independent energy grid, including the national feed-in tariffs the Energy Union project opposes, he said.

Also see:

▪ EurActiv Article – Energy Union is a triumph of gas lobby spin (19/03/2015)

EurActiv Article: An unexpected victory for renewables in Poland(17/03/2015)
The new renewable energy act paves the way to an energy transition in Poland, says environmental expert Andrzej Ancygier.

EurActiv Article: Fracking costs outweigh benefits for Germany and Europe, study says (20/03/2015)
For only a ten year supply of energy, fracking in Europe would contaminate drinking water, cause severe environmental damage and create vast industrial landscapes, says a study on fracking, as the German government pushes to legalise the controversial extraction method.

Also see:

▪ EurActiv Article – Berlin fracking bill criticised ahead of UN climate talks(24/03/2015)
▪ EurActiv Article – German Environment Minister defends new bill to regulate fracking (02/04/2015)

EurActiv Article: Leaders broadly endorse ‘Energy Union’ plans, leave details to later (20/03/2015)
European leaders threw their weight behind proposals for a single market for power and gas, based on better connections between member states, but left prickly discussions to later.

Also see:

▪ EurActiv Article – Member states reassert sovereignty over energy mix ahead of EU summit (17/03/2015)
▪ EurActiv Article – Secretive energy deals take centre stage at EU summit(19/03/2015)
▪ EurActiv Article – The powers of the Energy Union (19/03/2015)
▪ European Parliament Article – Schulz: “Energy union is a historic project” (19/03/2015)
▪ Euobserver Article – EU leaders agree ‘Energy Union’ blueprint(19/03/2015)
▪ European Council Press Release – European Council Conclusions on the Energy Union (19/03/2015)
▪ EurActiv Article – Wrap up: EU summit on energy union, Ukraine and Greece (20/03/2015)
▪ EurActiv Article – Athens opposes EU energy strategy, blocks privatisations(20/03/2015)
▪ Euobserver Article – EU leaders want Energy Union: but what do they mean? (20/03/2015)
▪ European Council Web Entry – Energy union: secure, sustainable, competitive and affordable energy for Europe (26/03/2015)
▪ EurActiv Article – North Sea Grid will prove EU is serious about Energy Union (27/03/2015)

JRC Article: ETRI 2014 – Energy Technology Reference Indicator projections for 2010-2050 (23/03/2015)
The JRC has published the first version of the report: ETRI 2014 – Energy Technology Reference Indicator projections for 2010-2050. The indicators provide a set of techno-economic data to be used for evaluating the European energy system. Together with the Technology Map 2013 (.PDF), it should provide policymakers and other people interested in energy technologies with information about expected future technology developments.

Download as PDF

EurActiv Article: Hungary says EU authorised its nuclear fuel supply deal with Russia (26/03/2015)
Hungary said on that it has reached a compromise with EU nuclear body Euratom over plans for Russia to be the sole supplier of nuclear fuel to the country’s Paks power plant.

Also see:

▪ EurActiv Article – Brussels blocks Hungary’s nuclear deal with Russia(13/03/2015)
▪ EurActiv Article – Hungarians protest against Orbán’s nuclear deal with Russia (16/03/2015)
▪ European Voice Article – Protest against Orbán’s ‘secretive’ nuclear deal(19/03/2015)

EurActiv Article: Statoil sees stricter CO2 constraint pushing demand for gas(26/03/2015)
Stricter emission rules in Britain and Germany are more likely to boost natural gas consumption than stalled EU efforts to reform its carbon market, the head of marketing and trading at Norway’s Statoil said.

EurActiv Article: 27 member states hit with EU legal action over energy efficiency (26/03/2015)
Every member state of the European Union, with the sole exception of Malta, was hit by legal action Thursday 26 March over failures to translate the EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive into national law.

Also see:

▪ EurActiv Article – Katainen: Private sector will decide if EU money goes to energy efficiency (11/03/2015)
▪ EurActiv Article – Energy efficiency investment must increase five-fold, warns report (13/03/2015)
▪ IEA Article – IEA leads energy efficiency training courses in Ukraine(25/03/2015)
▪ EurActiv Article – Member states face legal action over energy efficiency(26/03/2015)
▪ European Commission Press Release – Commission refers Hungary to Court and proposes fines for failing to fully transpose EU energy efficiency rules(26/03/2015)

EurActiv Article: Gabriel and Steinmeier defend Energiewende at climate conference (27/03/2015)
Critics argue that Germany’s energy transition is too risky. But in Berlin, Economic Affairs Minister Sigmar Gabriel, and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier promised that renewables will foster a greener lifestyle, and create prosperity.

Also see:

▪ EurActiv Article – German states challenge climate fees on outdated power plants (31/03/2015)

EurActiv Article: Bulgaria offers Westinghouse stake in new nuclear unit(27/03/2015)
Bulgaria has offered Westinghouse a 49% stake in a new nuclear reactor that the US multinational would build on the site of the Kozlodui nuclear power plant, writes Dnevnik.

Also see:

▪ EurActiv Article – Westinghouse: Nuclear energy has a great future in Poland (18/03/2015)
▪ EurActiv Article – Bulgaria’s energy sector reform to start with the regulator(01/04/2015)

EurActiv Article: Europe trailing behind in global renewables rebound(01/04/2015)
Renewable energy investment across the European Union almost ground to a standstill last year, with less than 1% growth, despite a strong global rebound in financing led by China and the United States, according to figures published on Tuesday 31 March.

EurActiv Article: Smart grids could be Europe’s shale gas, Commission says(02/04/2015)
Smart grids balancing intermittent solar and wind energy with flexible power demand could do for Europe what shale gas has done for the United States, a senior European Union official said on the 1st of April.

Note: For news on Biofuels see section “Nature & Argiculture” below.

Nature & Agriculture

Euobserver Article: EU’s new GMO law leaves questions unanswered(12/03/2015)
A new directive on cultivation of genetically-modified crops (GMOs) in Europe breaks an old deadlock between the European Commission, member states, and producers. But it leaves open political and legal questions.

Also see:

▪ EurActiv Article – German government quarrels over GMO cultivation ban(19/03/2015)

EurActiv Article: 97% of pesticide levels in Europe’s food legal, says EU agency (12/03/2015)
A new report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has found that more than 97% of foods contain pesticide residue levels that fall within legal limits. Strawberries are the most likely to exceed safe limits, the agency found.

Also see:

▪ EurActiv Article – UN cancer agency issues warning about five pesticides(23/03/2015)

EurActiv Article: EU agricultural imports linked to illegal deforestation, study claims (18/03/2015)
The European Union is one of the world’s largest importers of agricultural goods from illegally deforested land, a recently published report by Fern, a green NGO, has found.

EurActiv Article: German Minister plans ‘Green Revolution’ to combat world hunger (25/03/2015)
With green innovation centres “Made in Germany”, Development Minister Gerd Müller hopes to eradicate world hunger by 2030, while critics warn the biggest winners in the new initiative could be the wrong ones.

EurActiv Article: MEPs retaliate against EU countries on biofuels draft law(25/03/2015)
The European Parliament has resisted pressure from member states to water down the draft law on biofuels after five-hour long negotiations on 25 March.

Also see:

▪ European Voice Article – MEPs under pressure to concede biofuel fight(23/03/2015)
▪ EurActiv Article – EU countries dilute draft law capping food-based biofuels(25/03/2015)
▪ European Voice Article – Negotiators at loggerheads over biofuel law(26/03/2015)
▪ European Voice Article – Council agrees modest changes to biofuel position (02/04/2015)
▪ EurActiv Article – EU reaches tentative deal to cap food-based biofuels(02/04/2015)

European Voice Article: Phasing in of CAP reforms makes shaky start(26/03/2015)
Filing payment applications on paper instead of submitting them online was probably not what farmers in the United Kingdom had in mind when they requested a simplification of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Also see:

▪ European Voice Article – Farm ministers to discuss CAP application(12/03/2015)
▪ European Voice Article – EU ministers at odds over organic farming(17/03/2015)

EurActiv Article: Commission hopes to sue Germany over weak conservation efforts (26/03/2015)
Germany is not fulfilling its responsibility to preserve biodiversity and maintain protected wildlife sites, causing Brussels to initiate infringement proceedings against Berlin.

European Voice Article: Maltese put spring hunting season to the vote(01/04/2015)
Malta is to hold a referendum on 11 April on whether to abolish the country’s spring hunting season.

Transport

EurActiv Article: ‘Intelligent’ technologies open new avenues for European transport (20/03/2015)
Connected vehicles filled with communication technologies offer an unprecedented opportunity to achieve the European Union’s dream of an integrated multi-modal transport system, according to EU policymakers and industry experts.

Waste

EurActiv Article: Ecodesign can drive a circular economy (23/03/3015)
The circular economy has become one of the latest buzzwords in Brussels. The challenge now is to make sure it becomes an operational pillar of the EU’s policymaking, writes Stephane Arditi.

European Commission Press Release: Commission refers SLOVENIA to Court for failure to clean up highly flammable waste tyres (26/03/2015)
The European Commission is taking Slovenia to Court for its failure to comply with the requirements of EU waste legislation. The case concerns an illegal landfill in Lovrenc na Dravskem polju, where more than 40 000 tons of highly flammable waste tyres have been stored since 2006.

EurActiv Video: Circular economy targets to stay the same, says Vella(01/04/2015)
Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella Tuesday 31 March signalled that the European Commission’s resubmitted Circular Economy package would encourage recycling and discourage landfill

Also see:

▪ EurActiv Video – To “REACH” or to Recycle?! (01/04/2015)

Water

European Commission Press Release: Report on the implementation of EU water legislation: there is progress, but still work to do (09/03/2015)
The first Communication and the two reports published by the new Commission show how water policies can be a source of green and blue economic growth, with water management technologies at the heart of eco-innovation.

Also see:

▪ WFD Implementation Reports

EurActiv Article: Thousands march in Dublin against Irish water charges(23/03/2015)
Tens of thousands took to the streets of Dublin on Saturday 21 March in the latest mass protest against new water charges, which have sparked widespread public anger.

European Commission Press Release: Commission refers the United Kingdom to Court over poor waste water collection and treatment (26/03/2015)
The European Commission is referring the United Kingdom to Court over its failure to ensure that urban waste water is adequately treated in 17 agglomerations.

Events

23 April 2015

Event: Unique symposium (Part of the Asser 50th anniversary celebrations)
Topic/Title: Better Regulation in the EU revisited. Improving the European Union for the benefit of business and citizens.
Organisation: T.M.C. Asser Instituut
Venue: T.M.C. Asser Instituut, R.J. Schimmelpennincklaan 20-22, 2517 JN – The Hague, The Netherlands

Note: Registration for this event has been closed as the maximum capacity has been reached.

More information / Final Programme (.PDF) / Other Asser 50 Years Events

1 May – 31 October 2015

Event: EXPO 2015
Topic/Title: Feeding the planet: energy for life
Organisation: Bureau International des Expositions (BIE)
Venue: Milan, Italy

More information / EU at EXPO Milano website

18 – 19 May 2015

Event: Workshop
Topic/Title: Novel Approaches to Climate Governance and the Role of Entrepreneurship
Organisation: COST – Innovations in Climate Governance (INOGOV)
Venue: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

More information

25 – 29 May 2015

Event: 2015 INSPIRE – Geospatial World Forum Conference
Topic/Title: Convergence: Policies + Practices + Processes via PPP Organisation: European Commission and Geospatial Media and Communications
Venue: Lisbon Congress Center, Lisbon, Portugal

More Information

29 – 30 May 2015

Event: 2015 EU-Arctic Conference
Topic/Title: European Union and the Arctic
Organisation: Dundee University School of Law & K.G. Jensen Centre for the Law of the Sea (JCLOS)
Venue: University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, UK

More Information

2 – 5 June 2015

Event: Workshop
Topic/Title: The External Dimension of European Union Environmental Policy (EEEP): Pursuing environmental norms, rules and policies beyond borders
Organisation: Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation (GovInn), University of Pretoria
Venue: Pretoria, South Africa

More information

25 – 26 June 2015

Event: Inagural workshop of the UACES CRN
Topic/Title: European Energy Policy
Organisation: UACES CRN on the European Energy Policy
Venue: Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom

More information

24 – 28 August 2015

Event: Summer Programme on International & European Environmental Law
Topic/Title: International & European Environmental Law: The Future We Choose
Organisation: T.M.C. Asser Instituut

More information / Draft programme (.PDF)

2 – 4 September 2015

Event: Conference
Topic/Title: Effectiveness of Environmental Law
Organisation: European Environmental Law Forum (EELF)
Venue: Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Internationales et Communautaires (CERIC), University of Aix/Marseille, Aix en Provence, France

More information

Colofon

Editors-in-Chief

Wybe Th. Douma (Senior Researcher, T.M.C. Asser Instituut and Lecturer of
International Environmental Law, The Hague University)

Leonardo Massai (Senior Lecturer on International and EU Environmental Law, Catholic University of Lille)

Editors

Wouter van Kuijk (T.M.C. Asser Instituut, The Hague)

Steffen van der Velde (Junior Researcher, T.M.C. Asser Instituut, The Hague)