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PRESS RELEASE
(Brussels, 04 January 2006) Today the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) launches its Ten Green Tests for the Austrian Presidency of the EU - in a bid to encourage greater priority for the environment in European policy-making. The EEB, Europe's largest federation of environmental citizens' organisations, has been setting these benchmark tests for each EU Presidency since 1998, and then following them up six months later with an 'end-of-term' performance assessment. Top priority for the EEB in the coming six months is the development of an ambitious and effective Sustainable Development Strategy for the EU. This should include a comprehensive set of short-term measures - including environmental fiscal reforms - and a concrete set of mandates and tasks for the Commission to ensure leadership and coordination. John Hontelez, Secretary General of the EEB: "The draft Strategy the Commission produced last month failed the test of showing vision, targets and determined action to reverse the current trend of un-sustainable development. We have high hopes that the Austrian Presidency, which has an ambitious plan to involve all Council formations in a process leading to a Strategy adopted by the European Council in June, will transform the weak start into a strong end". The EEB's second Green Test for the Austrian Presidency is on access to justice and information in environmental matters. It requests that access to justice be restored in the Regulation on the application of the Aarhus Convention by EU institutions, that negotiations finally kick off on access to justice at member state level, and that the public has access to information gathered by EU member states in the framework of the EU's INSPIRE Directive (INfrastructure for SPatial InfoRmation in Europe). Climate change is also deemed crucial for this Presidency by the EEB. Reducing domestic emissions; ensuring environmental integrity in key new legislation; environmentally friendly policies on bio-energy and biofuels; and rejecting nuclear energy all feature on the EEB's list for climate change. Birgit Reiner, Austrian board member of the EEB, is hopeful of a green agenda for this Presidency: "Austria is challenged by giving a strong boost to environmental policy and achieve substantial progress in key areas. We hope Austria will make a difference!". The EEB Ten Green Tests will be complemented by the extended Memorandum to the Austrian Presidency - giving fuller details of the EEB's position on these issues - to be released next week on the EEB website: www.eeb.org. Please, click on the link for full text of the Ten Green Test in English and German. For further information please contact:
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