Use of the precautionary principle enshrined in the French constitution since 2005 must be completely transparent and applied using well-defined rules, French MPs said in a resolution adopted earlier this week.
Spain's new centre-right government wants to reform major areas of environmental legislation to ensure it "does not act as an obstacle to economic development", environment minister Miguel Arias Cañete told MPs on Wednesday.
At least 2,300 substances will be registered by the next REACH deadline, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) said on Friday. Preparations are further ahead than they were for the first deadline in 2010, it notes.
It is anticipated that the EU's 20% energy saving goal will not be achieved. Discussions on the energy efficiency directive can turn this around but differences on how to measure savings must be resolved, writes Andrew Warren.
The Kyoto Protocol is an important policy framework but most major emitters will never join it. The focus of the next UN meeting in Durban should be to reach a legally-binding global deal, writes European climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard.
The EU has long stated support for demand response as an important way of achieving its climate and energy goals. But progress towards making it a reality has been slow, says Jessica Stromback of the Smart Energy Demand Coalition (SEDC).
London, 21 October
Read our briefing note on this issue
Denmark took over the presidency of the EU on 1 January.
Read ENDS article on its provisional agenda of meetings
See also its website and full programme of work officially presented on 6 January
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