Novinky
Půdní balíček byl stažen z projednávání
Soil Strategy and Soil Framework Directive stopped by President Barroso!
Just hours before the Commission was prepared to publish the longly prepared "Soil Package" including the draft Soil Framework Directive and the Soil Thematic Strategy the entire strategy package was withdrawn from the Commissions agenda by President Barroso.
Read the Press release of EEB (EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL BUREAU):
Soiling its reputation: Is European Commission abandoning soil protection?
(
Brussels , 8 June 2006) - The EEB, Europe 's largest federation of
environmental citizens' organisations, is deeply dismayed at
yesterday's mysterious disappearance of the long-proposed Soil Thematic
Strategy from the Commission's agenda. This means the Commission has
indefinitely postponed publishing the proposal. The disappearance
apparently follows strong internal opposition, and marks the third time
the Commission has failed to deliver its commitment under the Sixth
Environmental Action Programme (6 EAP) to publish a Soil Protection
Strategy by mid-2005.
Soils are an important non-renewable resource for the whole community.
They are being degraded at an alarming rate. Some 115 million hectares
are subject to water erosion and 42 million ha to wind erosion. Almost
half (45%) of European soils have a low and decreasing organic matter
content. This contributes to climate change and threatens agricultural
productivity. We also depend on healthy soils to ensure safe water
supplies and food crops. Over 3.5 million potentially contaminated
sites have been reported, which would cost an estimated €59bn-109bn to
clean up. It is therefore imperative that an EU strategy, incorporating
a Soil Framework Directive proposal which addresses these challenges
coherently and pre-emptively, should be published without further delay.
Soils have been the most overlooked of all the various areas of the
environment. There is no history of direct protection at EU level,
although at a national level Germany is among the European countries
with a more promising record on soil . The Commission's total inability
to produce an adequate strategy in time is bad news for Europe 's soils.
“The Commission is about to sacrifice a vital part of Europe's ten-year
environmental agenda, which was laid down by Parliament and the
Council, “said EEB's Policy Director, Stefan Scheuer. “DG Environment's
earlier plans for soil protection have already been dramatically
weakened. Instead of submitting the resulting, much depleted, document
to Parliament and governments to allow discussion on how best to
proceed, President Barroso is planning to bury it altogether.”
EEB's Policy Officer, Pieter de Pous adds: “Given the tremendous
efforts needed to tackle climate change today, it is imperative that
the Commission produces a Soil Framework Directive that reverses the
escalating release of organic soil into the atmosphere. We already face
climate change. We need to take action now to protect our supplies of
food and water security, which depend on healthy soils.”
For further information please contact:-
Stefan Scheuer, EU Policy Director: stefan.scheuer@eeb.org ; Tel: +32 (0)2 289 1304; Mobile : +32 (0)496 258 682
Peter de Pous, EEB Policy Officer: pieter.depous@eeb.org ;Tel: +32 (0)2 289 1306
Peter Clarke, Press & Publications Officer: press@eeb.org ; Tel: +32 (0)2 289 1309
Zdroj (autor): Biowaste.at
Web: http://www.biowaste.at
Kontaktní e-mail:
Datum uveřejnění: 14.6.06
Poslední změna: 14.6.2006
Počet shlédnutí: 707