EEB

Press Release

The EU Spanish Presidency: Good on biodiversity, bad on climate and emissions

28th June 2010

“The Spanish Presidency will be remembered for its good work on biodiversity, where European Heads of State and Government endorsed an ambitious biodiversity target for the next decade”, said John Hontelez, Secretary General of EEB, Europe's largest federation of environmental citizens' groups. “It also made commendable efforts on EU soil policy, which was again blocked by a minority of member states, and on improving legislation on electronic waste.”

However, the Presidency failed to make progress on the climate agenda. Following the EU’s failure at the Copenhagen climate talks, the new Presidency should have guided the EU towards a stronger signal of domestic ambition, aided by mounting evidence that only increased ambitions provide sufficient incentives for greening the EU economy. This did not happen, despite hints by the European Commission that it would be feasible and wise to move to a unilateral 30% greenhouse gas reduction target by 2020 (compared to 1990).

It was also found wanting on industrial emissions. Spain followed its own national interests and joined a group of countries trying to reduce the European Commission’s and Parliament’s ambitions, particularly on large combustion plants which are the main source of pollution from the industrial sector. Much of the same could be said for its dealings with water scarcity and drought, where Spain has just received a warning for failing to comply with the Water Framework Directive.

Samuel Martín-Sosa Rodríguez, of EEB member organisation Ecologistas en Acción in Spain, said: “Environmental organisations had high hopes ahead of the Spanish Presidency, and they indeed started promisingly. However, the early enthusiasm was soon dampened, and in the end it was much ado about nothing.”

The EEB published this assessment based on the Ten Green Tests they send to each Presidency at the beginning on their tenure. Based on these Tests, the Spanish Presidency also scored low points for its efforts on nanotechnology, as well as hazardous chemicals.

Read the Assessment here.

Contact:

John Hontelez, Secretary General of the EEB, +32 (0)2 289 1091, hontelez@eeb.org

Simon Nazer, EEB Press Officer, press@eeb.org, +32 (0) 496 438 469