State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry, Mathias Machnig, and Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director at the European Environment Agency, agreed to cooperate more closely during the German Presidency in the European Council.
On her visit to Berlin Mrs. McGlade promised to make available several publications and contributions so that political decisions can be based on the best available information. A start was recently made with the German translation of the most important sections of the Environmental Status Report which the European Environment Agency publishes every five years. Furthermore, the Environment Agency will compile its most recent information in a report which will be published in time for the conference "Climate Change and the European Water Dimension" in February 2007. Upon the initiative of the Federal Environment Ministry it was also agreed to intensify cooperation in the field of ecological industrial policies aimed at demonstrating to companies the enormous business opportunities which become possible if the industrial basis is given a new ecological orientation.
The European Environment Agency (EEA) was established in 1994 and has its seat in Copenhagen/Denmark. It was set up to provide pertinent and reliable information on environmental topics whenever required. The EEA does the grass roots work for those who have to develop and implement European and national environmental policies. However, it also wants to reach the general public. EEA information helps the EU and EEA member countries to take decisions to improve environmental quality based on expert knowledge, to incorporate environmental issues in their economic strategies and to introduce increasingly sustainable measures. In the past months it presented, for example, reports on renewable energy sources and how environmentally sound they are, on market instruments and on the development of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe.
Further Information:
- <dokl:38229>General information</dokl>: Europe and environment
- www.eea.europa.eu: European Environment Agency
- Download: Core Set of Indicators