NEW EUROPE 17 th Year, Number 833 - May 10 - 16, 2009, € 3.50 www.neurope.eu THE EUROPEAN WEEKLY What else is New(s)? This Week’s Features Page 2 ANA/EPA/RALF HIRSCHBERGER T wo European Union summits in Prague went bust last week when few heads of state - in yet another embarrassment to the EU presidency of the Czech Republic – came, and those who did, like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, wound up with little to talk about. The EU reached out to six former Soviet states: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, for a so-called Eastern Partnership aimed at wooing them away from the influ- ence of their former rulers in Moscow, who didn’t like it. So there was little interest in the affair as Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin didn’t attend and dismissed EU incentives as “candy,” while most of the EU heavy- weights, from French President Nico - las Sarkozy to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stayed away too. So did Belarussian President Alex ander Lukashenko, who had been invited despite an appalling lack of human rights and press freedom. His absence saved the EU from the spectacle of a president being shu nned at the con- ference table. The energy summit a day later turned out just as bad, pro- ducing only a diluted agreement with eastern European countries and more chest-thumping supporting the EU’s hope for the Nabucco pipeline that would leave Russia out in the cold, a prospect few energy analysts believe will happen. The EU has offered near- ly 600 million Euro to the six countries to strengthen political, economic and energy ties while hoping to encourage democracy - which Lukashenko said would nev er happen – and ease EU visa restrictions, but nobody at this summit needed one to get in, or out, which they couldn’t do fast enough. The EU Summits in the Czech Republic don’t draw the A-list guests German Chancellor Angela Merkel is welcomed by Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (R) with a kiss on the hand next to Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek at the EU summit on Eastern Partnership in Prague, Czech Republic, May 7, 2009 TellBarroso.eu turns into success n Page 48 Solving the EU’s recession isn’t easy n Page 10 POLITICS Pages 11, 42 No Devils in Prague INTERVIEW : Yiannis Papathanasiou Daring to be Different n Page 36 ARTS & CULTURE Long jobless lines worry EU n Page 9 THE UNION The Geopolitics of Energy n Page 48 KASSANDRA Who is really behind RosGas? Page 43 ENERGY NE01:NE01 5/9/2009 8:01 PM Page 1
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NEWEUROPE17th Year, Number 833 - May 10 - 16, 2009, € 3.50 www.neurope.eu
THE EUROPEAN WEEKLY
What else is New(s)?This Week’s Features
Page 2
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T wo European Union summitsin Prague went bust last weekwhen few heads of state - in
yet another embarrassment to the EUpresidency of the Czech Republic –came, and those who did, likeGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel,wound up with little to talk about. TheEU reached out to six former Sovietstates: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, for aso-called Eastern Partnership aimedat wooing them away from the influ-ence of their former rulers in Moscow,who didn’t like it. So there was littleinterest in the affair as MoldovanPresident Vladimir Voronin didn’tattend and dismissed EU incentives as“candy,” while most of the EU heavy-weights, from French President Nico -las Sarkozy to British Prime MinisterGordon Brown stayed away too. Sodid Belarussian President Alex anderLukashenko, who had been inviteddespite an appalling lack of humanrights and press freedom. His absencesaved the EU from the spectacle of apresident being shu nned at the con-ference table. The energy summit aday later turned out just as bad, pro-ducing only a diluted agreement witheastern European countries and morechest-thumping supporting the EU’shope for the Nabucco pipeline thatwould leave Russia out in the cold, aprospect few energy analysts believewill happen. The EU has offered near-ly 600 million Euro to the six countriesto strengthen political, economic andenergy ties while hoping to encouragedemocracy - which Lukashenko saidwould nev er happen – and ease EUvisa restrictions, but nobody at thissummit needed one to get in, or out,which they couldn’t do fast enough.
The EU Summits in the Czech Republic don’t draw the A-list guests
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is welcomed by Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (R) with a kiss on the hand next to Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanekat the EU summit on Eastern Partnership in Prague, Czech Republic, May 7, 2009
TellBarroso.eu turnsinto success n Page 48
Solving the EU’s recession isn’t easy n Page 10
POLITICS
Pages 11, 42
No Devils in Prague
INTERVIEW : Yiannis Papathanasiou
Daring to be Differentn Page 36
ARTS & CULTURE
Long jobless lines worry EUn Page 9
THE UNION
The Geopolitics of Energyn Page 48
KASSANDRA
Who is really behind RosGas?Page 43
ENERGY
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16, 2009
US President Barack Obama‘s hopes to speed up the produc-tion of advanced bio-fuels that are less harmful to the environ-ment to help run the country’s cars, according to a draft ruleissued on May 5 by the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA). The EPA’s decision, which must be open to public discussion for60 days, aims to more than triple by 2022 the amount ofrenewable fuel produced to power vehicles in the United
States. But the rule also makes clear that the administration isnot placing its hopes on maize-based ethanol, a renewable fuelpushed by US farmers but which many environmentalists con-sider nearly as harmful to the environment as petrol. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said maize-based ethanol,which is already produced in many mid-western US states,would act as a “bridge” to cleaner bio-fuels, such as cellulosicethanol, that are not yet readily available.
Obama also announced some USD 800 million in new fundingfor bio-fuels research and the creation of the Biofuels Intera-gency Working Group, which will coordinate efforts across gov-ernment departments. The EPA’s ruling calls for 36 billion gallons (136 billion litres) peryear of bio-fuels to be blended into petrol by 2022, up from 11billion gallons expected to be produced this year. The decisionmirrors a similar target set by the US Congress in 2007.
Obama administration touts more advanced bio-fuelsCLIMATE
B iodiversity loss and climate change are now a part ofour lives. Both are rooted in overexploitation of nat-ural resources. Both require a coherent policy
response. The Syracuse Charter and the Athens Conferenceunderline the strong political commitment to take action. Toensure our society and economy have a healthy future, weneed a way to assess our impacts on the natural world. TheEuropean Environment Agency’s European EcosystemAssessment (EURECA) responds to that need. Last week wasa turning point for biodiversity policy discussions. Two cru-cial meetings — the G8 environment meeting in Syracuse,Italy, and the high-level conference in Athens, Greece,organised by the European Commission — recognised theclose links between climate change and biodiversity lossand the fact that neither can be solved without addressingthe other. An integrated approach, aimed at greening oureconomy was called for.
“Syracuse and Athens confirm that the political will tohalt biodiversity loss is now here. The solutions must beembedded across the political sphere from climate changeto the economy. We need to strengthen our knowledge ofwhat biodiversity means to us, and the services and benefitswe get from the natural world. The EEA will fill some oftoday’s gaps in knowledge with EURECA,“ said ProfessorMcGlade, Executive Director of the EEA. Ecosystems providemany services to human society, including carbon storageand climate regulation and water flows. Tackling climatechange means using natural resources sustainably to main-tain ecosystem services. Numerous countries have launchedgreening initiatives with this in mind. And many govern-ments responding to the current financial crisis have putgreening the economy at the centre of their stimulus pack-ages.
WHAT IS EURECA? The EEA launched the EURECA (European Ecosystem
Assessment) initiative to contribute to the follow-up processof the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. EURECA willaddress the stocks, flows and value of selected ecosystemgoods and services using a variety of policy-relevant scenar-ios. The EEA will deliver the first assessments in 2011, withmore following in subsequent years. EURECA will give par-ticular attention to improving our knowledge of how ecosys-tems function, the services they provide, involving stake-holders and developing tools for political decision-makingin Europe. It will provide a platform for people to exchangeknowledge and bring national assessments together at aEuropean level.
EURECA TIMELINE The first phase of EURECA was completed at the end of
2008. There will be regular updates of the EURECA findingsthroughout 2009–2013. The aim will be to support andinfluence a range of important international processes.Building on the SEBI (Streamlining European BiodiversityIndicators) work assessing the 2010 biodiversity target atConvention of Biological Diversity COP10 and the setting of
new European targets, EURECA will contribute to the follow-up to the global Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and ‘Rio+20’ in 2012.
Specifically for the EU, EURECA will contribute to thereview of the 6th Environment Action Programme andprogress reports on the implementation of the EU Biodiver-sity Action Plan, together with the SEBI indicators.
EURECA’s long-term perspective and flexible approachwill allow updates on the state of Europe’s ecosystems to be
fed into the European Union’s dynamic policy agenda, whichwill face many new challenges in the coming years, includ-ing globalisation, climate change, migration, security of nat-ural resources and demographic changes.
Konstantine Alexander Mentelopoulos is the Ambassador of the EU Natura 2000Networking Program for exemplary environmental management of an EU SpecialProtection Area. He is currently working for the establishment of a Marine Pro-tected Area in the Northern Cyclades group of islands in Greece
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A view of several specimen of Jandia Spurge in Jandia’s nature reserve in Fuerteventura island,Canary Island, southwestern Spain. Fuerteventura is one of places containing major biodiversi-ty in Europe
ECOLOGY
Biodiversity loss and climate change: the need for an ecosystem approach
ENVIRONMENT
Ecosystems provide many services tohuman society, including carbon storageand climate regulation and water flows.
Tackling climate change means using naturalresources sustainably to maintain ecosystemservices
