http://www.endseurope.com/news ENDS Europe: Europe's environmental news service Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:31:13 GMT Saturday Sunday 180 http://www.endseurope.com/feeds/europeLogo318x66.png http://www.endseurope.com/news http://www.endseurope.com/28091?rss=news Use of the precautionary principle enshrined in the French constitution since 2005 must be completely transparent and applied using well-defined rules, French MPs said in a resolution adopted earlier this week. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28092?rss=news At least 2,300 substances will be registered by the next REACH deadline, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) said on Friday. Preparations are further ahead than they were for the first deadline in 2010, it notes. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28093?rss=news The next EU budget for 2014-20 must allocate sufficient funds to address major shortcomings in the implementation of the Natura 2000 network of protected sites, according to a report by environmental group EEB published on Thursday. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28094?rss=news Spain's new centre-right government wants to reform major areas of environmental legislation to ensure it "does not act as an obstacle to economic development", environment minister Miguel Arias Cañete told MPs on Wednesday. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28082?rss=news Stakeholder platforms, increased research funding and public-private partnerships are among several proposals in a draft EU action plan to boost the bio-based economy, seen by ENDS. The plan will be unveiled on 13 February. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28083?rss=news Meeting the EU's 2020 target for biofuel use in transport will cost up to €126bn, according to Friends of the Earth Europe and ActionAid. Studies for the European Commission also confirm that more CO2 could be emitted, the NGOs said on Thursday. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28084?rss=news Member states are opposing proposals to earmark some cohesion funds for low-carbon projects under the next EU budget and to make funding conditional on compliance with environmental laws, according to green groups. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28085?rss=news A bonus scheme set up to encourage German renewables producers to install energy storage capacity, which has been in place since January, is not having its intended effect and costs much more than anticipated, according to trade association Eurosolar. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28073?rss=news Nuclear power production in France is likely to become more expensive in the future as maintenance costs go up, the country's court of auditors said in a report submitted to prime minister François Fillon on Tuesday. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28074?rss=news The EU should focus its waste prevention efforts on hazardous, construction and demolition waste, and food, according to recommendations from consultancy Bio Intelligence Service published in a report for the European Commission this week. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28075?rss=news Cutting emissions from agriculture will be one of the biggest challenges Sweden faces in meeting its 2050 climate goal, according to an interim analysis published by the Swedish environmental protection agency (EPA) on Wednesday. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28076?rss=news The European Commission hopes to agree "substantial" funding for a proposed European innovation partnership (EIP) on water management in the next couple of weeks and to launch the initiative in April, officials said on Wednesday. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28064?rss=news Fifteen new chemicals would be added to an EU list of priority substances regulated by the water framework directive under a legislative proposal put forward by the European Commission on Tuesday. Existing rules would also be strengthened. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28065?rss=news Spain's temporary suspension of subsidies for new renewables projects breaches EU law, the lobby group Renewables Foundation claimed on Tuesday. The freeze, which was announced on Friday, applies to all unregistered projects. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28066?rss=news The European Parliament's environment committee has given its backing to post-2020 carbon reduction targets in the proposed low-carbon roadmap. A majority of its members also support setting aside EU emissions trading scheme (ETS) allowances. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28071?rss=news The Danish EU presidency has removed one of two references to a 25% carbon reduction in 2020 in a draft resolution on the European Commission's low carbon roadmap blocked by Poland last year, according to a new text seen by ENDS. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28053?rss=news The EU must create a single market for environmentally-friendly products, stimulate demand for them and remove barriers to eco-innovation to drive green growth, a senior European Commission official said at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28054?rss=news Government representatives meeting in New York last week gave their support to a first draft of the Rio+20 negotiating text released by the secretariat of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in early January. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28055?rss=news The European Commission has published its long-awaited study on the costs of adopting a higher 30% carbon reduction target in the EU. It is keen to stress that the document, leaked earlier this month, is not a policy proposal. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://www.endseurope.com/28057?rss=news The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is expecting 13 dossiers recommending new REACH candidate list substances by its deadline on Monday. It will consult on the recommendations, the first of two batches due this year, from 27 February. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT