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EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.
EU News: A report published recently confirms that the EU has missed its target of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010. The assessment of implementing the Commission's Biodiversity Action Plan shows that Europe's biodiversity remains under severe threat from the excessive demands we are making on our environment, such as changes in land use, pollution, invasive species and climate change.
Nevertheless, the assessment reveals that significant progress has been made over the last 2 years. Important lessons learned from implementing the action plan will underpin the EU's post-2010 strategy.
Press release ~ 2010 Report ~ Natura 2000 network ~ LIFE+ funding ~ The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) ~ SEBI 2010
EU News: A new set of implementing rules on animal by-products, endorsed last week by the Member States in the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH), is expected to simplify controls & reduce administrative burden, while maintaining the existing high levels of human & animal health protection.
The new rules, which will apply as from 4 March 2011, will exempt packaged pet-food, biodiesel, tanned hides & skins and some other products from veterinary controls, since potential health risks from those products are mitigated by appropriate treatments. This should allow focusing on major health risks, while maintaining the current high level of protection of public & animal health.
EU News: Real time maps of air, ground & water pollution can now be made available to everyone thanks to an EU-funded research project called INTAMAP. The project has developed open specifications software to draw up contour maps that not only show the exact location of polluted areas, but also illustrate where pollution is coming from and where it is headed.
Such information enables public authorities to decide more quickly on appropriate action to tackle the source of the pollution and allows individuals to avoid it. Applying ICT research to benefit Europe's citizens and businesses is a key element of the Digital Agenda for Europe adopted by the Commission in May 2010 (see IP/10/581, MEMO/10/199 and MEMO/10/200).
EU News: The European Commission has launched a consultation (closes on 8 December 2010) on the role of statutory audit, as well the wider environment within which audits are conducted – See ‘Consultations’ section for more information.
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