Environmentally friendly EU

UCL hosted an environmental seminar for the forthcoming EU Presidency by the Netherlands Government.

'Strategies for Eco Efficient Innovation' was organised by UCL's Environment Institute, and was attended by leading lights of the environmental world, including European governments, research groups, industry representatives and public bodies.

The seminar is the Netherlands' response to the third pillar of the Lisbon Strategy, agreed in 2001, which committed to a more dynamic and knowledge based economy for the EU, where sustainable economic growth, more employment and environmental issues were paramount. For the forthcoming presidency, the Netherlands government has pledged to raise awareness of environmental issues, which is supported by the European Commission's Environmental Technology Action Plan (ETAP).

At the seminar, Director General of Environmental Protection for the Netherlands' Ministry of Environment, Mr Hans van der Vlist, outlined his government's commitment to the promotion of environmental innovation as a way to improve the EU's competitiveness in a global economy. Speakers, such as Mr Bill Stowe of the Ministry of the Environment, outlined the importance of educating consumers about environmental issues, and participants called for improved engagement between EU governments, industry and consumers.

Chairman Sir Crispin Tickell advised the Netherlands to highlight examples of eco-efficient innovations to illustrate their economic potential to consumers and industry, as well as the need for market regulation of the costs of goods in the light of their environmental effectiveness.
The seminar was organised by UCL's Environment Institute in cooperation with Price Waterhouse Coopers, the Netherlands.

Image: Mr Hans van der Vlist, Sir Crispin Tickell, Professor Richard Munton (Geography) and Professor Malcolm Grant, Provost & President of UCL

To find out more about the Environment Institute, use the link below.

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Link: Dana Pridie-Sale, Manager of the Environment Institute