1. Current Commissioner

2. Former Commissioners
    Stavros Dimas  Carlo Ripa di Meana  List of Commissioners 

3. See also

4. External links

5. References

The Commissioner for the Environment is the member of the European Commission responsible for EU environmental policy. The current Commissioner is Karmenu Vella.

The European Union has made a number of environmental moves, partially in regard to climate change. Most notably it signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1998, set up its Emission Trading Scheme in 2005 and is currently agreeing to unilaterally cut its emissions by 20% by 2020. (See: Energy policy of the European Union)

Other policies include Natura 2000, a widespread and successful network of nature conservation sites, the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) directive requiring safety testing on widely used chemicals, and the Water Framework Directive ensuring water quality reaches higher standards.

Current Commissioner

The current Commissioner is Karmenu Vella of Malta. In his hearing before the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the Committee on Fisheries,^[1] and in his introductory statement to the European Parliament,^[2] Vella listed as his priorities Green Growth, protection of natural capital, and safeguarding the Union's citizens from environment related

pressures and risks to health.

Former Commissioners

Stavros Dimas

During his hearing with the European Parliament, Stavros Dimas announced four main priorities for his term in office: climate change, biodiversity, public health and sustainability; Highlighting the importance of the Kyoto Protocol, the Natura 2000 project, the REACH directive, and the need to better enforce existing EU environmental legislation. On Dimas' website he lists the following key policy areas; Air, Biotechnology, Chemicals, Civil Protection and Environmental Accidents, Climate Change, Environmental Technologies, Health, International Issues and Enlargement, Nature and Biodiversity, Noise, Soil, Sustainable Development, Urban Environment, Waste and Water.

At the UN's Buenos Aires talks on climate change in December 2004 he attempted to negotiate mandatory emissions reductions to follow the expiration of Kyoto in 2012. This met with opposition from the USA, whose representatives refused to discuss it.

Dimas oversaw the introduction of the EU's emissions trading scheme that took effect on 1 January 2005, despite emissions reduction plans from Poland, Italy, the Czech Republic and Greece not having been approved on time. He also sought to include companies operating aircraft under the emissions trading regime.

In February 2007 the Commissioner put forward his plans to increase fuel efficiency standards of cars so that emissions are no more than 130g of CO₂ per km, down from 162g/km in 2005. This caused anger from the European car industry^[3] which was stoked by the Commissioner requesting a Japanese car, a Toyota Prius, instead of a European make due to the Toyota's better environmental standards.  

In response to the refusal of countries to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, such as the United States and Australia (the latter of which exchanged viewpoints with the EU on the matter^[4]), the EU has been looking to tax products imported from those countries not taking low-carbon policies on board (Border Tax Adjustments).^[5] (Australia has since ratified the Kyoto Protocol, at the Bali COP in December 2007).

Carlo Ripa di Meana

List of Commissioners

See also

• Directorate-General for the Environment
• EU environmental policy
• European Environment Agency
• Coordination of Information on the Environment
• Global warming and Kyoto Protocol:
  • European Climate Change Programme
  • European Union Emission Trading Scheme
  • Renewable energy in the European Union
  • Transport in the European Union
• Water supply and sanitation in the European Union
  • Water Framework Directive
• REACH directive
• Geography of the European Union
  • Natura 2000
  • Common Agricultural Policy
  • Common Fisheries Policy

External links

• Commissioner Dimas' website
• Commission's Environment website
• Eurostat – Statistics Explained – all articles on environment
• Celebrating the Environmental Union (Stavros Dimas)

References

• Microsoft Certified Professional
• Microsoft Chess
• Microsoft Classroom
• Microsoft Clippy
• Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit
• Microsoft Corporation v. AT&T Corporation
• Microsoft Corporation v. United States of America
• Microsoft Corp. v. Baker
• Microsoft Corp v Commission
• Microsoft Corp v. Commission
• Microsoft Corp. v Commission of the European Communities
• Microsoft Corp. v. Lindows.com, Inc
• Microsoft Corp. v. Lucent Techs., Inc.
• Microsoft Corp. vs. Commission
• Microsoft Devices Blog
• Microsoft devices group
• Microsoft Direct X
• Microsoft Display Dock
• Microsoft Docs
• Microsoft DoubleGuard
• Microsoft Doublespace BIOS Parameter Block
• Microsoft Doublespace BIOS parameter block
• Microsoft DoubleSpace BIOS Parameter Block
• Microsoft DoubleSpace BIOS parameter block
• Microsoft Doublespace BPB