Press release - January 9, 2013
The Irish government has released the detailed programme at the start of its six-month presidency of the European Union.
In an initial reaction after the publication of the programme, Greenpeace adviser for the Irish presidency Dónall Geoghegan said: "There is certainly a lot to do for Ireland on the environment and this programme reflects that. We're particularly pleased to see that the presidency will seek agreement on legislation to make cars more fuel efficient by reducing their carbon emissions. We also welcome that the presidency recognises the need to manage European fisheries more sustainably in order to preserve our seas for future generations. The European Parliament has already signalled that overfishing cannot continue and we hope that the Irish government will follow this approach in its work towards the adoption of reformed fishing rules in the EU."
On energy and climate change policy, Geoghegan added: "We certainly also expect the presidency to lay the foundations for the next set of 2030 objectives on climate change and for the uptake of renewables. Steady progress is needed to secure the environmental and jobs potential in the energy sector."
The full Irish EU presidency programme is available here.
Contacts:
Dónall Geoghegan: +353 87 222 5691
Greenpeace EU pressdesk: +32 (0)2 2741911, 
For breaking news and comment on EU affairs: www.twitter.com/GreenpeaceEU
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