February 21st, 2018 MEPs today voted against a motion to block the inclusion of major gas infrastructure projects in a list of projects which could qualify for streamlined planning and financial support from the EU. The projects are part of the EU`s Projects of Common Interest (PCI), which are key Read more…
November 8th, 2017 The Council Presidency and European Parliament yesterday reached a provisional agreement to reform control tests on car emissions data and enhance market surveillance for motor vehicles. The draft regulation will now be submitted to Member State representatives for endorsement, and will then go to the European Parliament Read more…
November 9th, 2017 The European Commission and the EU Member States have again failed to agree on the European Commission’s proposal for a five-year extension for glyphosate. A vote on the proposal at this morning’s meeting of the Commission’s Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed failed to a reach Read more…
October 6th, 2017 The European Parliament passed a motion this week calling for the safeguarding of Irish cross-border cooperation schemes after Brexit, including environmental issues. The motion passed on Tuesday states that the UK’s withdrawal agreement must be “fully consistent” with the Good Friday Agreement and the six areas of cooperation Read more…
October 4th, 2017 EU Member States’ rejection of amendments to a proposed waste directive calling for unsold food to be redistributed to charities is “unconscionable”, a leading Irish MEP has said. In an article last week based on leaked documents from EU waste directive discussions, the euobserver revealed that the Council Read more…
September 25th, 2017 An All-Ireland environmental NGO coalition is in Brussels this week to voice concerns over the impact Brexit may have on cross-border cooperation to protect the environment. As the fourth round of Brexit negotiations get underway, representatives from the Environmental Pillar and Northern Ireland Environmental Link are set Read more…
September 19th, 2017 The Irish branch of the European-wide People4Soil campaign has smashed its national quota for an official EU petition calling on the European Commission to protect soils across Europe. The campaign, led by the Environmental Pillar, received over 9,100 signatures in Ireland before last week’s deadline, smashing Ireland’s Read more…
September 17th, 2017 Scientists and NGOs have reacted with dismay to a European decision to allow member states to increase their levels of timber harvesting up to 2030. On 13 September, the European Parliament passed an amended policy framework for future EU land use policy, particularly regarding forestry. Land Use, Read more…
September 13th, 2017 Jean-Claude Juncker’s renewed call for Europe to lead the fight against climate change is meaningless without concrete commitment for higher emission cuts, Europe’s leading environmental NGO has said. The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) was responding to comments made by the European Commission President during his State of Read more…
September 11th, 2017 Europe’s leading court today held its first hearing on Poland’s refusal to comply with an interim ban on logging in the protected Białowieża Forest. The European Commission referred Poland to the ECJ in July 2017 for increased logging in the forest, and called on the Court to Read more…
