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European Region News  

7th Annual Survey on the Implementation and Enforcement of Community Environmental Law
The Seventh Annual Survey, which covers the year 2005, follows on previous Surveys by providing up-to-date information on the state of application of Community environmental law. The Survey:

• describes the implementation of environmental legislation during 2005 (Chapter I)
• illustrates the developments of infringement cases in each sector of Community environmental law during 2005 (Annex I)
• lists the national transposition measures notified by each Member State for directives whose implementation was due in 2005 (Annex II).

IMPEL-TFS Seaport Project Report
The Seaport Project focused on law enforcement for waste transports exported via seaports. Thirteen European countries participated in the project, which was executed under the direction of The Netherlands VROM. Apart from the inspection of waste transports, the project also focused on the exchange of information and experiences. The inspections were directed towards high-risk transports, which means that results are not representative for all transports that are taking place. The IMPEL TFS Seaport Project Report II shows that there are large differences between countries in methods of enforcement and in powers of inspection. It is recommended that similar European initiatives should continue and that a structured approach within the EU should be adopted.

Ireland's EPA Publishes "Focus on Environmental Enforcement" Report
The Irish EPA's Office of Environmental Enforcement published its first "Focus on Environmental Enforcement" report in July 2006. The report reflects the overall increase in enforcement effort by public bodies during the period since the establishment of the Office of Environmental Enforcement and highlights the emerging issues that need to be tackled. Findings include: 

• Industries in some sectors continue to encounter difficulty in operating according to their licence conditions;
• Poor waste management practices were identified in eight out of twelve classes of industry;
• Odour at waste transfer stations is causing nuisance and provoking increased complaints;
• Organised flytipping and backyard burning of waste are now significant problems; and
• 18% of wastewater generated in Ireland receives no treatment before discharge.

8th Annual Meeting of the Regulatory Environmental Programme Implementation Network
The eighth annual meeting of the Regulatory Environmental Programme Implementation Network (REPIN) in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) will be held in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 12-14th June 2006. The meeting will be hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Georgia, and organised by the OECD/EAP Task Force Secretariat. The specific objectives of the meeting are:

• Adopt the Guiding Principles of Effective Environmental Permitting Systems;
• Discuss and agree on the key messages of the region-wide assessment of progress with the implementation of the Guiding Principles for Reform of Environmental Enforcement Authorities that is being prepared for the Belgrade Ministerial Conference,
• Examine the proposal to organise a high-level multi-stakeholder conference on prospects for environmental policy making and implementation in EECCA.

The European Environment - State and Outlook 2005
The European Environment Agency (EEA) released The European Environment: State and Outlook 2005, its third state and outlook report on the European environment since 1994.The report presents an integrated assessment of Europe's environment, a set of environmental indicators, and a detailed country level analysis of progress on environmental issues using a scorecard based on nine key indicators. The overall purpose is to provide an integrated assessment that forms the basis for understanding what are the main challenges facing Europe's environment today and in the future, within the context of changing economic and social dynamics both in Europe and across the world.

European Court Wins Authority to Enforce Penalties for Environmental Crimes
The European Commission may seek criminal charges for violators of environmental regulations, according to a ruling earlier today by the European Court of Justice. Experts said the ruling could have broad implications and lead to the enforcement of other types of regulations. For the first time, the European Union's high court extended the authority of the European Commission to criminal law. In the past, cases involving criminal violations of environmental regulations were heard only by member states individually.

"The court strengthens the possibilities to enforce the law, once member states have agreed on a European policy. This is a watershed decision," said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
Article from EUObserver.com. See the Guardian for more information.