About: Karmenu Vella Archives
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Plastics Strategy: EU must heed example of best practices
Now that the European Commission has finally published its Plastics Strategy, the EU institutions should take inspiration from the best practices out there to make the upcoming legislation on single-use plastics work for citizens, the planet and the economy.
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Commission maps out plastics vision in new strategy
The European Commission presented on Tuesday (16 January) its eagerly anticipated strategy on how the EU intends to approach plastic production and pollution over the next decade and beyond.
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Karmenu Vella: ‘Well-designed’ plastics tax could help hit environment targets
As the European Commission sketches out its vision for the future of plastic production and pollution in its new strategy, the EU executive's environment chief, Karmenu Vella, explained how developments in China, Africa and Europe itself have shaped its plastics roadmap.
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Energy and environment in 2018: A preview
2018 looks set to be a defining year for energy and environment policy in Europe, as important legislative files move towards becoming EU law.
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EU donates millions to help save Africa’s wildlife
The European Union on Tuesday (5 December) donated €17.2 million as part of a €30m package to boost efforts in Eastern and Southern Africa to reduce the illegal killing of wildlife and the trafficking of related products.
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Recyclers claim EU carbon quotas from saved energy, CO2 emissions
French recyclers were in Brussels last week with a big ask – EU regulators must reward the whole recycling value chain for preventing emissions of global warming gases, they claimed, a message received with caution by the European Commission, which points to a lack of data.
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Juncker’s pledge to ‘make the planet great again’ fails to satisfy
Environmental groups and MEPs were left disappointed by Jean-Claude Juncker’s State of the Union address on Wednesday (13 September), after the Commission president only mentioned climate change anecdotally.
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NGOs ask Commission to step in as Bulgaria threatens access to justice
A coalition of green NGOs has called on the European Commission to intervene in Bulgaria, after the country’s ruling party announced a proposal that the environmentalists said would limit access to justice by increasing costs.
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EU takes the helm in a year of ocean mobilisation
2017 will be remembered as the turning point in how the international community works together to protect the ocean, write Karmenu Vella and Isabella Lövin.
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MEPs reject EU road agency in vote for new post-Dieselgate car approval rules
The European Parliament approved tougher rules for the approval of new cars aimed at avoiding a repeat of the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal but rejected amendments calling for a new, centralised EU road agency to oversee emissions testing.
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Vella: ‘By 2020, Mediterranean fish stocks should be subject to data collection’
The collection of accurate fish stock data in Mediterranean waters is a necessity for small-scale fishermen’s long-term survival, Karmenu Vella told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
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23 EU countries are breaking European air quality laws
European air quality laws are being flouted in more than 130 cities across 23 of the 28 EU member states, the European Commission said yesterday (6 February).
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EU decides against tinkering with flagship nature directives
After undergoing a much-criticised European Commission-helmed ‘fitness check’, the EU’s main nature directives have been ruled fit for purpose and will not be rewritten or weakened, in a huge win for environmentalists.
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MEPs back pollution rules in bid to save 200,000 lives a year
The European Parliament today (23 November) voted in favour of new EU rules to cap air pollution, which will curb the single largest environmental cause of premature death in urban Europe.
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Only strong international cooperation can protect the ocean and climate
As the COP22 Climate Conference gets into full flow in Marrakesh, Commissioner Karmenu Vella warns that global rules for the oceans have to be dragged into the 21st century.
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Bulgaria’s Borissov wants the ecology or regional development Commissioner portfolio
Following the resignation of Bulgarian Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva, the country’s Prime Minister, Boyko Borissov, said that he would discuss her replacement with Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker today (31 October).
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Investors fear next financial crisis will be climate-related
A rushed transition to clean energy triggered by extreme weather events linked to global warming “will be very expensive” to swallow for the economy, investors warned policymakers at an event in Bratislava last week.
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Commission accused over Baltic cod fishing limits
Conservationists have blamed the European Commission for being “picky” regarding the scientific advice it used to propose fishing limits in the Baltic Sea.
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EU warns Thailand over illegal fishing
The EU warned Thailand on Tuesday (7 June) to take "swift and determined" action against illegal fishing, or risk a European ban on its fish exports.
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Circular economy: An investment that pays off
There is a new way of thinking, known as the circular economy, which means that products are designed and produced to be used for as long as possible, easily repaired and, once they reach the end of their lives, recycled or disposed of effectively, writes Karmenu Vella.
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New fishing deals with Mauritania and Liberia approved
The European Parliament has approved a new fisheries agreement with Mauritania and Liberia. Spain is set to be a big beneficiary of the plan. EURACTIV Spain reports.
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The difficult balancing act of Europe’s fishing sector
The European fishing sector faces the challenges of rising demand and increasing global competition. This environment is putting the EU's aspirations of sustainability under severe strain. EURACTIV France reports.
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EU conservation law ‘modernisation’ may weaken protections
European Commission President Juncker wants EU laws on nature conservation modernised. But environmental activists have warned against weakening the current legislation. EURACTIV Germany reports.
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Baltic fisheries plan promises ‘sustainable fish stocks’
European Union institutions came to an agreement Wednesday (16 March) to implement a multi-year fisheries plan for the Baltic Sea: the first of its kind since the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) was reformed. However, the plan’s actual promotion of sustainability has been questioned.