Brussels, January 23, 2013 – A key committee of the European Parliament today voted to water-down already weak rules for farmers on protecting the environment. Friends of the Earth Europe reacted angrily to the vote by MEPs in the agriculture committee on two main regulations in the reform of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. [1][2] …
Doha climate talks: Industrialised countries fail to take emergency action
Doha, Qatar / Brussels, Belgium – Friends of the Earth Europe has condemned the governments of industrialised countries, including the European Union, for continuing to block action on climate change, at failed international climate negotiations in Doha, Qatar. Susann Scherbarth, climate justice campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe said: “In the desert of Doha, …
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Controversial biofuel labelled ‘sustainable’
The European Commission last Friday approved a certification scheme which would brand biofuels produced from palm oil as ‘sustainable’, despite evidence that their production contributes to deforestation, peatland degradation, disputes over land rights, and climate change.Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth Europe argue that legitimising the use of palm oil biofuels by approving the scheme …
Mining for smartphones: the true cost of tin
Tin used in some of the best-selling brands of smartphones is almost certainly linked to the devastation of forests, farmland, coral reefs and communities in Indonesia, according to a new report ‘Mining for Smartphones: the True Cost of Tin’ from Friends of the Earth. The investigation links destructive mining techniques in Bangka, Indonesia, to products …
Collapse of EU budget talks short-changes people and planet
With today’s collapse of negotiations at the EU budget summit in Brussels, environment groups CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe called on countries to focus their efforts on agreeing a deal in the new year that has quality EU spending at the top of the agenda. Markus Trilling, EU Funds coordinator for …
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EU budget negotiations must focus on quality spending
As European leaders gather in Brussels today for the EU budget summit, quality spending must be the focus of discussions if the future European budget is to tackle Europe’s environmental and economic crises, according to environment groupsCEE Bankwatch Network, Friends of the Earth Europe and Transport & Environment. European spending has often been misguided and …
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