IAS in Romania

Dear Friends

just to give you an idea of the seriousness of IAS problem in Romania, just two main points:

1) Two new invasive alien spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) in Romanian arachnofauna;
2) present situation in Romania can be described by:

• Low public awareness and opposition to government intervention;
• Shortage and inaccessibility of scientific information (for species identification, risk analysis, detection and mitigation techniques etc.);
• Absence of clear and agreed priorities for action;
• ease of introduction and movement (e.g. through the post), inadequate inspection and quarantine;
• Inadequate monitoring capacity;
• Lack of effective emergency response measures;
• Outdated or inadequate legislation;
• Poor coordination between government agencies, States and other stakeholders.

http://www.ecoportal.ro/modsis/en-alien-species-romania.php

The problem should be addressed as soon as possible through involvement of grass-root organizations

INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES (IAS) in Eastern Europe

Dear Friends

As a main stakeholder representing European grass-root organizations, APK analyzed the report from the Institute from European Environmental Policy

TECHNICAL SUPPORT TO EU STRATEGY ON INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES (IAS)

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/invasivealien/docs/Shine2009_IAS_Final%20report.pdf

with Recommendations on policy options to minimise the negative impacts of invasive alien species on biodiversity in Europe and the EU.

As we all know Invasive alien species (IAS) are non-native species whose introduction and/or spread outside their natural past or present ranges poses a threat to biodiversity. They are indeed a serious problem, also in Eastern Europe. However I was not able to find any specific mention of the problem in EU Eastern Europe. In addition at page 7 it is mentioned:

“stakeholder consultations formed an important element for seeking broader input and providing updates on work in progress. The main fora through which government, scientific, professional, industry and NGO stakeholders were engaged included”. It is not clear which ngos were consulted and whether grass-root organizations were involved in the study.

We shall ask the Institute from European Environmental Policy fuerther details on this issue.

IAS is a serious problem which needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

We have received reports from Romania and Moldavia on this problem but found no mention on them in the report.

Let’s hope we receive further clarification on this problem.

APK

Network of European grass-root and small environmental organizations

APK is an organization which supports a network of European grass-root and small environmental organizations.

We are promoting the further development of the network among European organizations.

This way as a member of our network your organization would be able to be involved in the development and implementation of Community policy and legislation, due to our active participation to European environmental issues.

There are no charges linked to join our European network. On the contrary the constant interchange of information about European environmental matters would help your organization be receiving a flux of vital information for your organziation’s development.

Prof. M. Buonomo

APK

APK is an indipendent and not-profit making European organisation, active in the field of climate change  and in protecting the environment at European level and involved in the development and implementation of Community policy and legislation. APK supports a network of European grass-root organizations aimed at strengthening nature and the environment, social conditions and the local economy.

EU negotiation position in Cancoon: an opinion from grass-root organizations

Dear network members

As we all know EU commission is pushing for the adoption of the proposal to move beyond the 20% greenhouse gas emission target. This will be the EU proposal at Cancoon.

It is indeed true that in Eastern Europe the implementation of the EU "20-20-20" targets is already difficult to achieve. However there is a credibility issue at stake.

Let me be clearer. Europe cannot ask for more severe emission reduction targets to other countries if itself is not able to do that at home. And within Europe, certainly Eastern Europe is where the increase in emission targets is more difficult.

As a European network of grass-root organizations we are consulting ourselves to achieve a consensus for more aggressive emission reduction targets.

We also expect to include REDDs in the Cancoon negotiations and their incorporation in the next protocol. It is essential not to see energy, emission reductions and forest conservation as different issues but indeed all different parts of the same problem.

For that reason APK network ask the EU commission to have a strong position on the negotiation table in Cancoon to achieve a world reduction of CO2 emissions within a definite framework which includes all the different aspects of the climate change issue.

M. Buonomo

APK

Obiettivi europei: Dove' l' Italia?

Obiettivi europei del 20-20-20-2020, cioè entro il 2020 si dovranno raggiungere i seguenti traguardi:

1. Fonti rinnovabili: il 20 % dell’energia dovrà derivare da fonti alternative
2. Risparmio energetico:ci dovrà essere un aumento del 20% dell’efficienza energetica rispetto alle proiezioni del 2020
3. Riduzione emissioni: diminuzione del 20 % delle emissioni di gas serra rispetto ai livelli del 1990

Friends of Kyoto Protocol’s activities in 2011

- FKP focused on enlarging the network of grass-root organizations based on:
1) existing FKP’s main subsidiaries in Poland, Hungary, and its network members in Bulgaria and Romania,
2) contacting new grass-root organizations especially in Eastern Europe to enlarge its network.
Negotiations were a bit lenghty with some organizations. However many Eastern European grass-root organizations showed an interest in joining our network and FKP Italy is selecting the new members of its network.

- FKP organized some conferences and workshops on how EU emission reduction ceilings are fixed in some Eastern European countries where FKP network members are based and in Italy too.

In addition FKP organized  bimontly online meetings with FKP network members in Eastern Europe (6 per year). During these meetings there was a flow of information about EU policies in the climate change area.
FKP Italy normally follows up the results of EU meetings on climate change, analyze them and explains them to its network members, which need a simplified explanation of the new environmental policies adopted by EU institutions.

FKP Italy received feedbacks (emails) after 1-2 weeks after the online meeting, with specific comments on the problems of the application of the new EU policies in the specific Eastern European countries where its network members are based.

-  Awareness raising activities: Workshops in local schools in Italy and Eastern Europe about EU climate change policies. Conferences were focused on the EU's commitment to achieve a 20% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 compared to 1990 as well as the EU's conditional offer to move to a 30% reduction by 2020 compared to 1990.

Il Professor De Masi socio onorario di APK Italia

Cari amici

Abbiamo l’onore di annuanciare che il professore Domenico de Masi è stato nominato socio onorario della nostra organizzazione ed ha accettato.

Il professor De Masi è una personalità famoso in tutto il mondo. Ecco una sua presentazione:

http://www.domenicodemasi.it/home2.html#

Prof. M. Buonomo

APK