NEWS FROM THE WORLD

Special webpage on Floods - Spring 2006
DG Environment has launched a special webpage about the springfloods in Europe this year, containing short descriptions on the countries involved and the received requests for assistance.
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EU to be more ambitious on marine conservation targets
The Committee of the Regions (CoR) is urging the European Commission to be more ambitious in its efforts to achieve a sustainable marine environment and to reverse the effects of decades of deterioration on sub-aquatic ecosystems.
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Stronger groundwater protection for Europe
A group of Euro MPs voted to keep a law requiring states to prevent dangerous chemicals from leaking into groundwater, resisting pressure from member states and business to weaken the EU Groundwater Directive. The European Parliament Environment Committee rejected proposed changes to the Directive, saying they would lift the duty on member states to prevent groundwater pollution.
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Community framework for cooperation in the field of accidental or deliberate marine pollution
The general notice for the 2006 call for proposals in the field of 'Community framework for cooperation against accidental or deliberate marine pollution' has been released.
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EU water management faces economic challenge
The European Environmental Bureau, Europe's largest federation of environmental citizens' organisations, called on Europe's Environment Ministers to sharpen up their act given their poor record in implementing EU water protection legislation in the shape of the 2000 Water Framework Directive.
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Environmental policy has been "politically downgraded"
A report written by the Institute for European Environmental Policy paints a critical picture of the implementation of the EU's 6th environment action programme. Most of the objectives of the 10-year strategy will not be fulfilled before 2012, says the report.
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Managing floods in Europe
With more severe and frequent floods hitting Europe each year, the continent's rivers and floodplains need to be better managed with less emphasis on new, large-scale infrastructure projects, says WWF in the lead-up to a European Union conference on flood risk management.
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The enigma of the blue algae
Cyanobacteria - known as 'blue algae' and widely dispersed in freshwater - are unicellular organisms that secrete dangerous toxins.
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Biodiversity loss "as serious as climate change"
The threat to humanity and the planet posed by biodiversity loss is as great as the dangers presented by climate change, claimed EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas.
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Chinese River Defender Wins Prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize
Yu Xiaogang, the Founder and Director of Chinese NGO Green Watershed, has received the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for his pioneering work in protecting rivers and watersheds in China.
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Spreading the Water Wealth:
Making Water Infrastructure Work for the Poor
International Rivers Network published its first annual "Dams, Rivers and People" report focuses on water infrastructure and poverty. The report analyses different strategies to reduce poverty in the water sector, and presents a proposal for a new global water policy that is pro-poor and environmentally sustainable.
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Mozambique Mega-Dam Threatens Efforts to Restore Zambezi Delta
The government of Mozambique announced that the Export-Import Bank of China has agreed to back the construction of the proposed Mphanda Nkuwa Dam, worth over US $2 billion. It will be located on one of Africa's most dammed rivers, the Zambezi, 70 km downstream of Cahora Bassa, another huge dam.
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