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Friday, February 25, 2011

The Commission is launching three online consultations in the field of environment

The three consultations launched by the Commission are open until mid-April 2011. The first one concerns the strategy for more efficient use of natural resources in the European economy. The second consultation is on the Rio de Janeiro Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in 2012. This consultation will help to determine the position to be adopted by the EU. Finally, related consultation has also been launched to gather opinions on the European bio-based economy, which also includes aspects of resource efficiency. Please give your opinion!The first consultation, on resource efficiency, will feed into a Roadmap for a resource-efficient Europe expected in the summer of 2011. The consultation asks for opinions in three areas – general views on resource use, scarcities, current obstacles and major areas of concern; policy areas that could be included in the roadmap; and options for encouraging individual shifts of behaviour. The views of public authorities, the private sector, environmental stakeholders and interested citizens are being sought on 22 questions. On 26 January this year, the Commission adopted a Communication on a Resource-Efficient Europe – one of the flagship initiatives of Europe 2020, the EU’s strategy for jobs and growth – setting the scene for a number of Commission initiatives to be adopted in 2011 and 2012. The Roadmap is one such initiative. The consultation, in English, French and German, closes on 17 April 2011.

The second consultation will help elaborate the EU position for the United Nations conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in 2012. The conference, also known as Rio+20 as it coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, is intended to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development. It will assess progress to date, identify gaps in the implementation of commitments and address emerging challenges, with a focus on two major themes: "a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication" and "the institutional framework for sustainable development". The consultation, which consists of 13 open questions, in English, runs until mid-April.

Responses to the consultation will feed into a Communication on the EU position to be published in the spring of 2011, and in subsequent discussions with the other EU Institutions. It is open to all stakeholders in the EU and in third countries. Contributions may be sent in the form of answers to some or all of the questions asked in the paper. Once the replies have been assessed, a report on the consultation will be published on the DG Environment website.

Finally, a consultation has been launched by DG Research and Innovation which relates to resource efficiency and other aspects of Europe 2020 and focuses on the state and future potential of Europe's biobased economy. In addition to looking at resource efficiency issues, the consultation asks questions about the potential of the bio-based economy to foster innovation and address societal challenges. The results will support the preparation of the "European Strategy and Action Plan towards a sustainable bio-based economy by 2020".

Source  European Commission website

More information  Press room - European Commission

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