Environment and health

At the beginning of September, the new EU energy labels for light bulbs and other lighting products came into force. It is a new version designed to help European consumers to reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint by directing their purchasing choices towards products that promote an eco-sustainable energy [...]

The EU Commission has decided to register an initiative of European citizens called "Returntheplastics: a citizens' initiative for a deposit system throughout the EU for the recycling of plastic bottles". The organisers of the initiative ask the Commission to put forward a proposal to: introduce a EU-wide deposit system to [...]

The European Commission today published a new technical guide on climate-proof infrastructure projects for the period 2021-2027. The guidelines will help to integrate climate considerations into future investments and the development of infrastructure projects, be they buildings, network infrastructure or a range of built systems and assets. This will enable [...]

Within Horizon Europe, the largest European research and innovation programme (2021-2027), the Commission has selected 11 new projects worth €120 million to support and enable urgent research on coronavirus and its variants. This funding is one of the many research and innovation actions undertaken to combat coronavirus and contributes to [...]

G20 Environment, reunited in Naples, has approved a "Communiqué" with the strategies to apply with regards to sustainable finance, marine litter, a net of Unesco environmental experts (a network which was wanted by Italy), an appeal for the protection and the restoration of the degraded soils, a sustainable water management [...]

Italy starts the Covid-19 Green Certification that attests either the vaccination against Sars-Cov2, or the negative result of an antigenic or molecular swab carried out in the last 48 hours, or the recovery from the infection. The free document, in digital and printable format, facilitates in our country the participation [...]

The Parliament finally adopted the climate law, which was informally agreed with the Member States in April, with 442 votes in favour, 203 against and 51 abstentions. This decision will give European citizens and businesses the legal certainty and predictability they need to plan for the transition decided on with [...]

The European Commission has proposed a new approach to a sustainable blue economy in the EU for industries and sectors related to the oceans, seas and coasts. A sustainable blue economy is crucial to achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal and to ensuring a green and inclusive recovery [...]

The European Commission has adopted the EU Action Plan: "Eliminating air, water and soil pollution" - one of the main objectives of the European Green Deal and the central theme of this year’s EU Green Week. The plan defines an integrated vision for 2050: a world in which pollution is [...]

The European Parliament launches the Horizon Europe research programme 2021-2027, which will help EU health systems to prepare for future pandemics and industry to achieve decarbonisation and stimulate innovation. Horizon Europe includes the largest budget for digital research and digitisation ever decided by the EU. The programme provides short and [...]