Brussels, 05/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Resource Efficiency Platform - a sort of laboratory for ideas to provide high-level guidance on policy measures for implementing the roadmap for a resource-efficient Europe - met for the first time in Brussels, on Tuesday 5 June. In order to allow the broadest participation possible by all stakeholders and promote dialogue on the challenges and opportunities of resource-efficiency, a public online platform was opened the same day.
Chaired by John Bruton, a former prime minister of Ireland and EU ambassador to the US, the high-level platform will provide guidance and advice on policy measures designed to transform the European economy towards a more sustainable growth path. Its first task will be to determine how to achieve the milestones and vision set out in the Commission's roadmap. The platform has 34 members (including 5 European commissioners, 4 MEPs, 9 business leaders, 4 environment ministers, and members of international organisations, civil society and academic circles). Its working groups will draft a first set of recommendations in one year, and will give the final result of their reflection at the end of their tenure, mid-2014. Work will be on three themes: greening of the global economy, objectives and indicators to measure progress, and the conditions for framing investment, Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik, who is also the deputy chairman of the platform, told the press. He went on to add that, currently, the economy and the environment are in crisis. Effective use of resources is not a choice, he said, adding that it is necessary to act now for growth and employment - this being the only way to overcome the crisis.
Speaking of limited potassium, phosphate and metal resources and the “vulnerability of our continent” because the EU imports more of these rare raw materials than other countries in the world, John Bruton said that everyone, in private enterprise and in civil society organisations, must contribute to finding innovative solutions to make the continent of Europe more effective in its use of resources. Commissioners Tajani, Hedegaard, Potocnik, Rehn, Semeta and the environment ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Italy and Germany are members of the resource efficiency platform. (AN/transl.jl)