Green deal can bring additional jobs and growth
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Commission works on emissions trading for transport and buildings despite Green and Socialist opposition
"The Green Deal, if properly implemented, can provide additional jobs and growth to Europe," MEP Peter Liese, EPP spokesperson for environment. "We are currently spending around one billion euros a day on imports of oil, gas and coal. If we invest this money in efficiency and new technologies within the European Union, it will benefit all of us and of course help the climate. Ursula von der Leyen has found the right framework to combine ambitious climate protection goals with jobs and growth. Also in March, just like the presentation of the climate protection law, an industrial strategy will be presented, which will describe in more detail how we will enable our energy-intensive industry to produce climate neutrally.”
European Parliament sets signal against Trump / MEPs want alliance with other industrialized and emerging countries to boost climate protection
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EPP-Group focuses on innovation, support for structural change, market-based means and forest protection
The ENVI Committee of the European Parliament is sending a clear signal against the climate protection policy of US President Donald Trump. While Trump formally announced at the beginning of the week that he would be withdrawing from the Paris climate protection agreement, a large majority of the members of the ENVI Committee even voted for a stronger commitment to climate protection. The EU should not only raise its own climate targets but above all cooperate with other industrialised and emerging countries to raise ambitions together.
"Donald Trump's announcement is a very bad signal, but I am sure that it will survive Donald Trump. The resignation can only come into force once the next presidential election has taken place in the USA and I then hope for improvement", said the environmental policy spokesperson of the largest Group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats).
Concrete climate action - EU publishes new eco-design efficiency standards
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Important step towards CO2 reduction - good for the climate, wallet and jobs - 46 million tonnes of CO2 savings
On Thursday (5 December) the European Commission will publish new energy efficiency requirements for 10 different products in the Official Journal. The measures adopted under the Ecodesign-Directive are designed to save energy and thus protect the climate. There will be new requirements for refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, electronic displays (including televisions), light sources and separate control gear, external power supplies, electric motors, direct sales refrigerators (e.g. supermarket refrigerators, cold drink vending machines), transformers and welding equipment. This will save 46 million tonnes of C02. This corresponds to Denmark's annual energy consumption or the CO2 emissions of about 27 million cars.
Read more: Concrete climate action - EU publishes new eco-design efficiency standards
Pesticides: European Parliament wants to protect bees better
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Liese in favour of new plan, based on latest scientific and technical knowledge
"The European Parliament wants the European Commission to come up with a new plan how to protect bees better. We cannot allow that the bees become victims of the incapacity of member states to agree on better rules", said Peter Liese, the EPP Group Spokesperson on Environment.
The European Parliament today objected to new rules to asses bee-harming pesticides in the EU. The MEPS legally oblige European Commission to come up with a new plan.
"We demand from the Member States to do their job. We want a real plan, protecting European bees, which are important for both environment and agriculture, and we want the Member States to support us in this. The current proposal is not good enough. It does not protect bees enough. The European Commission must propose a new plan, based on the latest scientific and technical knowledge", Liese said.