Press release - November 15, 2007
Ljubljana, Slovenia — The international environmental campaign group Greenpeace and Umanotera, the Slovenian Foundation for Sustainable Development, today launched the joint project 'Slovenian EU presidency watch'. This project is to monitor and support the environmental performance of Slovenia during its six-month EU presidency from January to July 2008.
In the coming months, EU member states will discuss new proposals by the European Commission on energy and climate policy, including laws to boost renewable energy supply to 20% across Europe, and to introduce car efficiency standards. According to Greenpeace and Umanotera, Slovenia, as Presidency of the Council, has the opportunity and responsibility to set EU Member States on the right track to rapidly implement solutions that can effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Europe.
Jorgo Riss, director of Greenpeace European Unit in Brussels comments: "Slovenia faces a unique opportunity - green issues are at the top of the public and political agenda because of climate change. As the European Union is defining for the first time its common energy policy, Slovenia can steer discussions into the right direction. The main task of the Slovenian presidency will be to ensure that EU energy policy becomes an effective tool in fighting dangerous global warming. If Slovenia manages its presidency well, it will put the EU on track to become more energy efficient, and to switch successfully from a fossil fuel to a renewable energy system. If Slovenia handles its presidency badly, more than six months would be lost - once discussions start off on the wrong track, the EU response to climate change risks to be insufficient and to come too late. The long-term consequences of a failed Slovenian presidency could be very serious."
Time to act against dangerous climate change is running short: According to the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global greenhouse gas emissions must start dropping at the latest by the year 2015. Greenpeace demands that the EU reduces its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by the year 2020 and by 80% by the year 2050.
"For us four climate related dossiers will determine the success of the Slovenian Presidency", explains project manager Nina Štros. "First of all we expect that the Presidency will ensure a discussion among EU member states on strict short and long term car efficiency standards. Secondly it is important that - in discussions on the future energy technologies for Europe - the Presidency challenges EU members states to take clear decisions for renewable energies rather than diverting attention to dangerous and expensive technologies such as nuclear power. Thirdly Slovenia should urge the EU rapidly to implement a European wide renewable energy system. And last but not least we call on the Presidency to show EU leadership on global forest protection" Štros added.
EU climate and forest policy will have direct effect for Slovenia, says Vida Ogorelec-Wagner, director of Umanotera. "Slovenia is warming faster than the global average, because of its specific geographical location. This is already affecting our forests, and forest experts predict that, if the warming trend continues, fir trees in Slovenia will move up to higher altitudes above 2000m. The large scale degradation of these forests will have serious negative economic impacts on the Slovenian forestry sector, and could lead to massive soil erosion. In summer months, water in Slovenia will become scarce, and forest fires more frequent. With higher temperatures, tropical diseases such as malaria could spread into Slovenia" warns Ogorelec-Wagner.
Other contacts:
Nina Štros, vodja projekta "EU presidency watch", Greenpeace-Umanotera, +386 40 871 530, 