Don’t shoot the messenger – We have listed below the position presented in an article which we saw on the European Parliament website.  Whats your view? “New EU-rules on public procurement will ensure better quality and value for money when public authorities buy works, goods or services, thanks to new award criteria which will put...

How important would it be to your business if certain key raw materials were no longer available to you? Would your business be viable or what would you do if your product range decreased dramatically due to the regulations governing the manufacture and application of products? (eg. from from 26 products supplied to many clients...

The European Commission has approved funding for 14 new research projects to shape a more resource-efficient economy in Europe. A summary of the 14 resource-efficiency research projects that will receive a total €40 million funding is presented below.   ANAGENNISI (Innovative Reuse of All Tyre Components in Concrete, EU budget contribution: € 3.12 million, Project coordinator: The University...

The European Commission has approved funding for 14 new research projects with the stated aim of shaping a more resource-efficient economy in Europe. The projects, which involve the collaboration of over 140 partners from research organisations and private companies, will tackle the challenges of recycling waste materials from manufactured products and the agricultural sector to...

Improved rules on the collection and treatment of electric waste entered into force on 13th August 2012.   Currently only one third of electrical and electronic waste in the EU is separately collected within the documented system. The Directive introduces a collection target of 45% of electronic equipment sold that will apply from 2016 and, as a...

The European Union’s (EU) approach to waste management is based on three principles: waste prevention, reuse and recycling, and improving final disposal and monitoring. In 2010, the total generation of waste from economic activities and households in the EU amounted to 2.570 million tonnes, which equates to 5.1 tonnes of waste per person. The EU-funded project BURBA http://www.burbaproject.net/ (Bottom-up selection, collection and management...

FP7 attaches great importance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The aim for FP7 is to allocate at least an indicative 15% of the total EU funding of roughly €50 billion for 2007–13 to SMEs. SMEs have a role in a range of environmental research topics including water recovery/recycling, water and wastewater treatment, waste management...

Directive 91/676/EEC on the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources, relates to management of farm wastes and run off to protect surface water and groundwater. The directive is implemented in Ireland by S.I. No. 101/2009  – European Communities (Good Agricultural Practice For Protection of Waters) Regulations 2009 which revoke, and re-enact with amendments,...

The Priority Substances in Water Directive controls emissions, losses and discharges of so-called ‘priority substances’ to water by establishing environmental quality standards (EQSs) for them in water and requiring monitoring programmes.  The substances concerned include chemicals, certain metals, biocides, plant protection products and dioxins. For substances classified as priority hazardous substances, the legislation requires their...

New rules that entered into force on 13th August 2012 will see EU citizens better informed about major threats posed by industrial plants in their immediate vicinity. The rules are part of an update of the Seveso Directive, a key instrument in industrial risk management. The Directive obliges Member States to draw up emergency plans...