General
Dear readers,
Due to a vacation break of the editorial team the EEL News Service will take a break in August. We will be with you again on the regular two week basis as of September. We wish you all a nice vacation period.
The EEL website team
Updated on Dossier/Links, Air Pollution:
* Some information about the adoption of the thematic strategy on air pollution, postponed because of its costs and its impact on the competitiveness of the European industry, have been added. A debate has been organised by the Commission on the 20th of July, gathering the opinions of industry groups and green NGOs.
Added to Policy areas, Climate Change, Policy documents:
* Climate Pact between USA, China, Japan, Australia and South Korea, whose aim is to combat global warning by developing energy technology to cut GHG emissions. As the United States and Australia are the only developed countries, which have not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, the purpose of this agreement could be a way to knock Kyoto protocol on the head.
* G8 summit: Although the Summit acknowledged that human activities contribute to climate change, no agreement was reached on emissions reduction target. Thus, as the USA is the only G8 country, which has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, it is not under a legal obligation to take action.
* The European Community has published a final study on the possible inclusion of aviation under the EU Emission Trading System. The study confirms, that aviation also contributes to global climate change, and that its contribution is increasing. While the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions fell by 3 % from 1990 to 2002, emissions from international aviation increased by almost 70 %. Even though there has been significant improvement in aircraft technology and operational efficiency this has not been enough to neutralise the effect of increased traffic, and the growth in emissions is likely to continue in the decades to come. Finally, the study identifies seven key design elements to be addressed if the climate impacts of the international aviation sector are to be included in the EU ETS.
Added to Case Law, ECJ:
* Case C-364/03, Commission vs. Hellenic Republic
ECJ 07-07-2005, nyr
The Hellenic Republic has been condemned by the Court for not determining the policies and strategies necessary to progressively adapt the power station situated in the island of Crete to the best technologies available. The ECJ recognised that, in the light of Directive 84/360, Member States have a margin of appreciation regarding the measures to take in this field as long as they take into account the latest technologies in any cases, and not only in cases of high level of pollution.
Added to Reviews/Book Reviews:
*Yearbook of European Environmental Law, Volume 4, 2004, containing topical analyses of contemporary environmental law, covering a wide range of issues (like the challenge created by the enlargement of the European Union with ten non-experienced Member States, the problem of the enforcement of European environmental policies, the involvement of the public and NGOs and the integration of environmental issues to the other policy fields), a general survey on European environmental law, some discussion paper summaries and book reviews. All in all, this fourth yearbook, like the previous ones, continues to be an essential information source for all persons working in the field of environmental law in Europe and beyond.
* Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern, 19 September 1979), Council of Europe Publishing, July 2005. This book contains the texts adopted by the Standing Committee between 2001 and 2004. The Committee is responsible for supervising the application of the Convention and can make recommendations to the Contracting Parties with regard to measures to be taken for its implementation.
* Environmental protection and the European Convention on Human Rights, Council of Europe Publishing 2005. The book examines the European Convention on Human Rights in detail, taking into account its evolution after adaptation. He finally confronts the Convention to the question “Does the European Convention on Human Rights provide the right to the environment?”.
* Environmental Policy in the European Union, Eds Andrew Jordan, Earthscan Publications Ltd., 2005. This second and fully revised edition develops the theory and practice of contemporary EU environmental Policy. The book’s aim is to look forward and ask whether the EU is prepared or even able to respond to the “new” governance challenges posed by the perceived need to use “new” policy instruments and processes to “mainstream” environmental thinking in all EU policy sectors. The book forms a valuable contribution to answering this important question.
Added to Upcoming Events:
* 1-30 September 2005, EASY-ECO Bratislava Training on Sustainability Evaluations, Bratislava, Slovakia
* 21-22 September 2005, Electrical & Electronic Waste 2005, Brussels, Belgium
* November 2005, “Problems of Steady Development of Mountain Territories” conference, Baku, Azerbaijan
* 28-30 November 2005, 7th International conference on Waste Management, Vienna, Austria
Added to Job postings:
* Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN), a non-governmental and non-profit organisation is looking for an EIA Watchdog in Georgia to work in collaboration with the programs Manager and the whole EIA project tem in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, giving report to the project Manager and CENN Executive Director.
Update on National pages:
* Albania
* Spain
* Netherlands
Added to Dossier/Links, EU Dossiers:
* A dossier on soil policy development related to the Commission’s website has been added.
Added to the Website:
* Sitemap
An overview of the content of the EEL Website has been created, providing a basic, extended and detailed overview of all the information contained on the website.
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Editors-in-Chief:
Wybe Th. Douma (T.M.C. Asser Institute, The Hague)
Jens Hamer (Academy of European Law, Trier)
Editors:
Stéphanie le Meignen (T.M.C. Asser Institute, The Hague)
Daria Ratsiborinskaya (Institute of European law, MGIMO-University, Moscow)
Technical realisation:
Marco van der Harst, Julien J.M. Simon
(T.M.C. Asser Institute, The Hague)
e-mail: mailto:eelnewsservices@asser.nl