The following is taken from a Wildlife Trusts’ press release:
The UK will elect 73 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) tomorrow who will have significant influence over a range of important EU policy decisions. For people who care about the future of nature in the UK, these decisions are crucial.
During the next term of the European Parliament, EU environmental legislation such as the Habitats Directive will be reviewed, new international climate and environmental targets will have to be negotiated and recently agreed reforms to the Common Fisheries Policy and Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will be implemented.
Joan Edwards, The Wildlife Trusts’ Head of Living Seas, explains: “Behind the dry-sounding policies and targets are EU laws which have created a network of protected wild havens, improved air and water quality, and have begun to get to grips with the problems posed by climate change. These challenges go beyond national boundaries and have far-reaching impacts.
“The MEPs we elect tomorrow can have a say in the future richness, diversity and health of our seas and treasured landscapes. They could do so much to strengthen protection of these places and to ensure that there is the political will needed to implement existing laws.”
The Wildlife Trusts are urging UK MEPs to:
- Put environmental sustainability at the heart of the post-2015 global development framework
- Ensure that the mid-term review of the EU’s 2020 Biodiversity Strategy leads to a step change in implementation
- Ensure that Member States are on course to end overfishing and achieve sustainable fish stocks by 2020
- Seize opportunities to enhance environmental outcomes from the CAP during implementation and review of the new programme
- Develop a coherent climate change adaptation strategy using ecosystem based approaches wherever possible
- Ensure the Marine Strategy Framework Directive is fully implemented
- Champion a significant increase in funding for the highly successful LIFE Programme in order to improve financing of Natura 2000
The Wildlife Trusts, WWF and RSPB jointly organised a UK hustings event for the 2014 European Elections recently. The audience was able to quiz the following panel of MEPs: Stuart Agnew (UKIP), Chris Davies (Liberal Democrat), Julia Girling (Conservative), Linda McAvan (Labour) and Keith Taylor (Green).
Responses from MEPs on how their party will manage environmental issues can be listened to here.
Also worthy a look: Joan Edwards’s blog “What has Europe done for nature conservation in the UK”.
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