7 Amendments of Matthias GROOTE related to 2012/0337(COD)
Amendment 157 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 18
Annex 1 – point 18
18. Despite considerable efforts to date, the requirement under the WFD to achieve ‘good ecological status’ by 2015 is likely to be met only for some 53 % of surface water bodies in the EU. TAs a result of the ongoing human over-exploitation of the seas and oceans, for example through overfishing, waste disposal and mass tourism, there is also a risk that the Marine Strategy Framework Directive target to achieve ‘good environmental status’ by 2020 may be missed, inter alia due to continued overfishing and the presence of marine litter in Europe’s seas. For this reason, closer coordination and more stringent regulation of the use of the seas and coastal areas in the context of integrated coastal management is essential. And while EU air and industrial emissions policies have helped to reduce many forms of pollution, ecosystems continue to suffer from excess nitrogen deposition and ozone pollution associated with emissions from transport, intensive agriculture and power generation.
Amendment 160 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 19
Annex 1 – point 19
19. Protecting, conserving and enhancing the EU’s natural capital therefore also requires tackling problems at source through, inter alia, better integration of natural capital objectives into other policies, ensuring that policies are coherent and deliver co-benefits. The greening elements set out in the Commission’s reform proposals, notably for EU agriculture, fisheries and cohesion policy, backed by the proposals for greening the EU budget under the Multi-Annual Financial Framework 2014-2020 (MFF) are designed to support these objectives. For instance, aquatic ecosystems in rural areas should benefit from the linking of farm payments to compliance with relevant requirements of the WFD as set out in the Commission's proposals for the reform of the CAP. GAgriculture in particular can do much to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the volume of fertilisers containing nitrogen and phosphates released into the groundwater. Agriculture geared to compliance with stringent environmental requirements can not only safeguard the quality of the soil and improve it on a lasting basis and protect biodiversity in rural areas, but also make a significant contribution to improving air and water quality. What is more, greening of the CAP will also promote the environmentally beneficial agricultural practices of crop diversification, the protection of permanent grassland, and the establishment and maintenance of ecologically valuable farmland and forest areas.
Amendment 166 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 20
Annex 1 – point 20
20. In the case of the marine environment, while the maritime sector offers economic opportunities, from fishing, shipping and aquaculture to raw materials and offshore energy and marine biotechnology, care needs to be taken to ensure their exploitation is compatible with the conservation and sustainable management of marine and coastal ecosystems. In conjunction with sustainable maritime spatial planning, integrated European coastal management can play an effective role in coordinating maritime and coastal activities and striking a balance between the various functions which the seas and oceans perform.
Amendment 169 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 22
Annex 1 – point 22
22. The degradation, fragmentation and unsustainable use of land in the EU is jeopardising the provision of several key ecosystem services, threatening biodiversity and increasing Europe’s vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters. It is also driving soil degradation. More than 25% of the EU's territory is affected by soil erosion by water, which compromises soil functions and affects the quality of freshwater. Soil contamination and sealing are also persistent problems. More than half a million sites across the EU are thought to be contaminated and until they are identified and assessed, they continue to pose potentially serious environmental and health risks. Every year more than 1 000 km² of land are taken for housing, industry, transport or recreational purposes. This artificial sealing of the soil has an adverse impact on the natural water cycle, because surface water can no longer seep into the ground and replenish the groundwater. Since the soil is, for example, no longer able to absorb and store rainwater, the increased run-off leads to flooding and a shortage of drinking water. These long-term changes are difficult or costly to reverse, and nearly always involve trade-offs between various social, economic and environmental needs. For this reason, Member States' planning decisions relating to land use should be made more sustainabledefine exactly which areas are to be released for building and impose restrictions on the size of those areas. Sufficient green areas should be set aside to offset the unavoidable impact of large-scale sealing.
Amendment 176 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 23
Annex 1 – point 23
23. To reduce the most significant man- made pressures on land, soil and other ecosystems in Europe, action will be taken to ensure that decisions relating to land use at all relevant levels give proper consideration to environmental as well as social and economic impacts. The Rio+20 Summit outcome called for a 'land degradation neutral world'. The EU and Member States should, without delay, reflect on how best to make such a commitment operational within their respective competencies as well as to address soil quality issues within a binding legal framework42. Targets will also be set for sustainable land use and soil. Sustainable land and soil use must be part and parcel of a comprehensive and binding set of European rules on the protection and sustainable use of the soil. Since soil, environmental and climate protection are inextricably linked, the adoption of binding rules applicable throughout the EU is fundamental to the achievement of EU climate objectives, the protection of biodiversity and the safeguarding of agricultural productivity.
Amendment 205 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 26 – subparagraph 2 – point c
Annex 1 – point 26 – subparagraph 2 – point c
(c) Increasing efforts, inter alia, to ensure that healthy fish stocks are achieved by 2020 at the latest, starting by fishing at, or below, maximum sustainable yield levels as from 2015 in all fisheries, and establish an EU-wide quantitative reduction target for marine litter.; in addition, setting up integrated, coherent coastal management in order to ensure a long-term balance between environmental protection and the sustainable exploitation of marine and coastal areas;
Amendment 260 #
Proposal for a decision
Annex 1 – point 37
Annex 1 – point 37
37. There is also considerable potential for improving waste management in the EU to make better use of resources, open up new markets, create new jobs and reduce dependence on imports of raw materials, while having lower impacts on the environment. Each year in the EU, 2.7 billion tonnes of waste are produced, of which 98 million tonnes is hazardous. On average, only 40 % of solid waste is re- used or recycled. The rest goes to landfill or incineration. According to the waste hierarchy, incineration and landfilling should represent the last resort in waste management. Priority must in all cases be given to the prevention, re-use and recycling of waste. In some Member States, more than 70 % of waste is recycled, showing how waste could be used as one of the EU’s key resources. At the same time, many Member States landfill over 75 % of their municipal waste.