Brussels, 10/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - As Cyprus begins its term of office at the helm of the Council of Ministers, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), disappointed with the outcome of the UN Rio+20 conference, sees an opportunity in the current economic crisis for the EU to make progress towards sustainable development and is looking to the Cypriot Presidency to lead the way.
It is with this in mind that the EEB will evaluate the performance of the Cypriot Presidency on the environment against the “ten green tests” which it published on 5 July:
1. Renew the commitment to sustainable development in the wake of Rio+20; 2. Green the EU budget; 3. Change the direction of Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) reform, through greening all direct payments and a raft of binding agri-environmental measures; 4. Safeguard Europe's fish stocks; 5. Stop climate change and save energy; 6. Accelerate the reform of EU water management; 7. Protect European citizens from harmful chemicals; 8. Rein in GMOs, through a rigorous, comprehensive, coherent and binding regime for the risk assessment of GMOs; 9. Invest in nature and biodiversity; and 10. Promote transparency and accountability on public access to information, participation in decision-making and access to justice in the area of the environment. (AN/transl.rt)