The Third meeting of the 132 Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (MOP3) was concluded on 17 March in Curitiba, Brazil. It adopted a landmark decision on detailed documentation requirements for genetically modified organisms in the international trade of agricultural commodities. In the final hours of negotiations, trade implications of documentation requirements were the main focus of major players such as Mexico and Brazil. The final compromise would have not been possible without the political commitment of the Brazilian government to make MOP3 a success.The European Commission negotiated on behalf of the EU and played an important role in brokering the final compromise.
Environment Commissioner Dimas stated: “This decision sets out documentation requirements that are clear, meaningful and practical for both exporters and importers of agricultural products,

while being consistent with EU law. It provides for legal certainty for the international trade in agricultural commodities. As such, it is a landmark decision that bolsters the role of the Cartagena Protocol.
I would like to express my deep appreciation to the Brazilian government that has been instrumental to achieve this outcome.”
In addition to the documentation requirements, MOP3 took decisions on a range of other issues that will enhance the effective implementation of the Protocol, including biosafety capacity-building activities in developing countries; risk assessment for GMOs; the operation of the web-based information exchange portal established by the Protocol, the so called Biosafety Clearing House.

(EC/2006-03-20)

A high population density and thousands of years of agricultural cultivation mean that Europe’s nature has been substantially modified by man. More species can be found in ten square kilometres of the Amazonian basin than in the whole of Europe. Nevertheless, at the turn of the last century Europe did have a rich and unique nature that could be characterised by its co-existence with human activity.
But the situation has changed for the worse over the last fifty years. The intensification of agriculture and forestry, the spread of urban areas and the growth of transport infrastructure, have resulted in the loss, degradation and fragmentation of habitats. There have been significant declines in the populations and the distribution of a wide range of species. While some rare species, which have been the subject

of targeted action, are showing signs of recovery, many species remain threatened. These include: 30% of amphibians; 42% of native mammals; 43% of birds; 45% of reptiles; and 52% of freshwater fish.
In addition to this, many marine fish stocks are being exploited outside safe biological limits and some are in danger of collapse.
These alarming figures explain why, in 2001, the European Union’s Heads of State adopted the goal of not only slowing down but actually halting the loss of biodiversity in the EU by 2010. The need for “urgent implementation” of this objective was re-confirmed this month by the Union’s 25 Presidents and Prime Ministers.

(EC/2006-03-28)

Recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) at the end of its useful life is on the increase, particularly in the case of computer equipment. Its composition is complex and includes ferrous and non-ferrous metals, a variety of plastics, wood, glass, adhesives, cement, oils and optic fibre. Other types of WEEE have dangerous components or substances such as lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) or polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE).
A survey was made and technical inspections were carried out in eight local organisations in order to determine the number of computers, printers and scanners, as well as brands and life expectancy.
WEEE management in organisations and supporting and maintenance companies was determined, as well as the use made of waste, obsolete and disused equipment. WEEE

generation was divided into twelve components: hard disks, memory, sound and video boards, main boards, monitors, mice, speakers, keyboards, compact discs and drive units. Computer life cycle was determined, as well as corrective and preventive maintenance periods.
Nowadays there are some treatment and re-utilization alternatives for materials given in the RAEEs, such as: grinding, electromagnetic separation of metal, separation according to density, spectroscopic and thermographic methods for plastic detection and others.
Finally, the proposal for RAEE treatment procedures describes transfer plant for electronic waste separation according to the density of the metals, and the design for a plastics recycling plant.

(Residuos, Spain, www.revistaresiduos.com)

At the latest by next year, the Netherlands airline KLM will allow mobile telephones to be used in flight, as an experiment. At present, telephones must be switched off during the whole of the flight as well as all other electronic devices during landing and take-off.
The experiment will take place on European flights and passengers will also be able to use their portable computers and other apparatus requiring radio connections. According to KLM the use of portable telephones is completely safe. The company intends to install communications hubs in the aircraft which will enable connection with the terrestrial networks.

The system is conceived so as not to interfere with the instruments on board.
Other companies such as Ryanair, British Midland and the Portuguese TAP will also allow the use of mobiles in flight. On the other hand SAS prefers to wait because, according to a survey, SAS clients thought that the cost of the service was too high. They also feared excessive noise. Nevertheless, SAS already allows the use of ADSL on several of its long haul flights.

(Miljø Horisont, Denmark, www.miljo.horisontnet.dk)

In Finland, alterations proposed to the waste law are currently under revision. According to an estimate in a recent research report, the revised law may engender additional costs of tens of millions euros to those producing waste, in other words, the citizens and companies in trade and service fields.
The research was commissioned from Kasui Ltd by the Ministry of Environment. The research report has caused a lot of discussion. For example, many of the entrepreneurs don't agree with the arguments and cost estimates.
The proposed law suggests that part of municipal waste, namely business waste, be transferred to private waste plants for treatment and processing.
According to the research report, the proposed changes in the waste law may have a significant effect on the total cost of municipal waste management, says Finnish Recycling News Uusiouutiset. The current 500 million euro costs might grow as much as by ten per cent.
Due to the higher transport and waste treatment charges, trade, households and both private and

municipal service companies would have to pay an extra 30 million euros per year. The business waste management charge would increase as much as by 20 million euros annually. The growing costs would especially affect small and medium enterprises outside city areas. On the other hand, the state would lose tens of millions due to the declining yield from the waste tax.
The beneficiaries would be private waste management companies. The complete separation of business waste treatment from waste management run by local authorities would increase their turnover by 50 million euro per year. According to the research report, one half of the amount would come through raised waste charges and the other half through the waste tax benefit. The growth of turnover is based on the presupposition that private landfills will continue to be exempt from waste tax.
The waste law proposal will be discussed by the Government and the Parliament in April.

(Uusiouutiset, Finland, www.uusiouutiset.fi)

The fast growth of reeds and land uplift are not the only reasons for the expansion of coastal reed-beds. The cessation of grazing and mowing in coastal areas have also played a part. Reeds have, in addition, invaded the shores of many lakes and the mouths of rivers. Their spread may be promoted by mild winters, the continuing rise of average annual air temperatures and an increase in the supply of nutrients in water and air. The management of reed beds and the utilisation of reeds have not been the subject of sufficiently thorough scientific investigation. Despite the fact that reeds are growing very vigorously in Finnish coastal bays, reeds are hardly used there at all.
In Estonia, however, enterprises have discovered, or rather rediscovered, an array of applications for reeds. Today, thatched roofs are being made again; insulation and render-carrier mats, and bedding for pets are manufactured. The production of reed briquettes is planned as is the burning of reeds as fuel in small boiler houses. Reeds are also used in handicrafts. Mown, sorted reeds, bound into sheaves, are

sold in large bundles to Denmark, Germany, Sweden and The Netherlands. Reeds may also be planted on constructed waste water treatment wetlands.
Estonia and Finland have begun a joint project: Reed Strategy in Finland and Estonia. In Finland the project coordinator is the Southwest Finland Regional Environmental Centre, and the Estonian coordinator is the Institute of Heat Engineering of Tallinn University of Technology. The project is financed under the EU Interreg IIIA programme and will continue until the end of 2007. In the course of the project it is hoped to gather information and exchange know-how and experiences in reed applications and reed-bed management. The project's main purpose is to formulate a strategy for the wide-ranging use of reeds in Finland and Estonia. Hopefully, in addition to Finland and Estonia, the project will also benefit the whole of the Baltic Sea region.

(Keskkonnatehnika, Estonia, www.keskkonnatehnika.ee)

River power stations do not necessarily need dams to work. This is the conclusion of German scientists working at the company PEACE (Provide Energy As Clean Energy). The PEACE technology works with turbines, fixed on a floating platform, which transform the current. The architecture of the river banks does not need to be modified.
The platform is pointed, like a ship; the turbines are installed under the water surface. According to the manufacturer, when the turbines are placed at the correct distance one behind the other, the river can be reused to create an energy cascade. The whole device rises and

falls with the water level, the turbines automatically aligning themselves in the direction of the current.
The electrical power output depends on the speed of the current, the number of turbines, their diameter, and the number of paddles. The first installation tested, with three turbines in a current of 1.5m/sec, produced 100,000kW/h per year. A household which uses a great deal of energy consumes 10,000 kW/h per year.
Info: www.peace-gmbh.de.

(Umwelt Magazin, Germany, www.umweltmagazin.de)

Zurich's drinking water supply is tested not just by trout but also by small crayfish. This is the first time daphnia have been used in checking water production quality, say the town's water supply services. Since the beginning of the year, these 6mm water fleas have been continuously inspecting the drinking water before it arrives in the distribution network.
The flees swim through a toxin-measuring device which records their movements 24 hours a day. If, for example, these little animals make rapid or abnormal movements, the conclusion is that there is a problem with the water.
The reason for the change from relying on trout, is that the daphnia are much more sensitive than trout to foreign or toxic matter. Once the alarm is given by the daphnia, the pumping

of subterranean water is interrupted immediately.
Biological control systems are more suitable than in-line chemical measures because the latter do not detect minimal changes in specific substances which are only present in small quantities, say the water supply specialists. For this reason, a control system had already been developed in Zurich using trout about 30 years ago. Thanks to the combination of biological checks and in-line chemical tests, safety and maximum water quality can be guaranteed, they say.

(Umwelt Perspektiven, Switzerland, www.umweltperspektiven.ch)

The Flemish Institute for Historic Monuments (VIOE) has just begun a project which is almost infinite. All the trees of historic interest in the Flemish territory will be inventoried. Some originally marked property limits, were in farmyards, served for the purposes of the law, or constituted architectural monuments. Other specimens will be included on the basis of their great age or their exceptional shape.
A beech which is now 100 years old, and is nothing special, may well present exceptional features in 50 years' time. So the work will never be finished. In the future, when the database is sufficiently large, all the information will be put on the Internet, so that anybody will be able to access it. Naturally, this information will include

GPS coordinates so that the tree can be located in its environment.
The elaboration of such an inventory also has a social aspect: woodman spare that tree! The idea is to alert enterprises, local government, and ordinary citizens about the preservation of 'important' trees in the context of possible works. Local authorities granting planning permission should ensure the conservation of exceptional examples.
Note that the inventory has no legal status.
It is envisaged that certain trees will be 'sponsored' in order to better care for them.
Info: herman.dierickx@telenet.be.

(Milieu Direct, Belgium, www.kluwer.be)

A unique air quality management system is being created in Estonia. Unique because it is a integrated system covering the whole country.
The system is composed of different modules, e.g. the emission databases module, the monitoring data collection module, and the modelling module. The modelling module includes different mathematical models (Gauss, MATCH, network model, receptor and street canyon model, etc.) that, depending on the presentation of the task and on the area in question, can be used to perform diffusion calculations.
Modelling for the whole of Estonia can be carried out using the MATCH (Multiscale Atmospheric Transport and Chemistry) model. On a scale of a few kilometres, the Gauss diffusion model can be used. The receptor model is a back-tracking calculation model based on the Gauss model, which enables point pollution sources to be traced on the basis of air pollution concentration measurements and meteorological parameters. Air pollution

modelling also enables the possible spread of pollution in the case of an accident (rupture of a tank, etc.) to be predicted for different scenarios. In the future, the short-term forecasts of the Estonian Meteorological and Hydrological Institute will be used to predict the spread of pollution.
Nationally, the system is necessary for the assessment of the possible impact of new pollution sources (enterprises, roads, etc), for the issuing of new pollution licences, the checking of existing licences and the prediction of the spread of dangerous pollutants in risk situations. In addition, the new system enables Estonia to meet the national air quality assessment and public information requirements stipulated in the EU Air Quality Directive. The creation of the management system is being financed from the Phare aid project EuropeAid/114968/D/S/EE.

(Keskkonnatehnika, Estonia, www.keskkonnatehnika.ee)

The Käppala de Lidingö (Stockholm) sewage works is starting the large-scale manufacture of biogas, without knowing if the product will be used by cars, busses or in the home.
Taking into account the Käppala site, the manufacture of biogas in Stockholm will increase from 8 million cubic metres to 12 million. AGA Gas and SL (Stockholm's urban transport system) are interested, as is Fortum Värme.
“We are inviting them all to negotiate, and the choice of the client will be based on the price, the environmental impact and the length of the contract. The price will be the most important factor, of course,” says Torsten Palmgren, chief technician at Käppala.
With this gas, SL will be able to run its busses on biogas and AGA will be able to supply more service stations. Fortum Värme is certainly dependent on the demands of the Miljöpartiet

– the Green Party – which insists on replacing part of the town gas by biogas.
If Fortum and SL manage to spread the costs either in local taxes or in the price of domestic gas, AGA Gaz will find it difficult to sell its gas to motorists beyond a certain price.
The other possibility could be that the councillors of the nine districts of Stockholm which own Käppala, would refuse to see the gas disappear into Stockholm's network, thus letting the Miljöpartiet profit from it at election time. Many councillors prefer to see the gas serve for busses and cars in their own districts.
Käppala will invest 25 million Swedish kronor, for the production of carburant. It will be two to three years before any gas can be delivered.

(Miljö Rapporten, Sweden, www.miljorapporten.se)

Hungary: Környezetvédelem, new member of the EEP.

www.eep.org

The EEP-Award 2006 edition application form can be found on our website: www.eep.org.

At the EEP Award Ceremony in Paris on 30 November 2005, the Awards of the EEP Award 2005 edition have been announced at the Pollutec TV Stage by representatives of the EEP (European Environmental Press), the EFAEP (European Federation of Associations of Environmental Professionals) and Pollutec.

The Jury of he EEP Award 2005 decided to present the awards to the following companies:

Gold EEP-Award 2005: SET, the Netherlands
Innovation: SET: A wind turbine for every private house, no noise, durable and less maintenance.

Silver EEP-Award 2005: Hera Holding, Spain
Innovation: Containerised plant for biogas enrichment to be used as bio fuel for cars.

Bronze EEP-Award 2005: VigiCell, France
Innovation: In vivo Human Cellular BioAlert; in order to study the effects of human health of real situations of environmental expositions or commercialised products.

More information on the winners and the other seven nominees of the 2005 edition, on the 2003 and 2004 editions and the EEP Award 2006 edition application form please consult our website: www.eep.org.

ECOMONDO 2006

The Great International Expo Dedicated to the Environment at its Tenth Year.
The International Trade Fair on Material & Energy Recovery & Sustainable Development is preparing a special edition to celebrate ten years of success.

Rimini Fiera, 8-11 November 2006

For further information: www.ecomondo.com.
Info for exhibitors: i.canarecci@riminifiera.it.
Info for visitors: infovisitatori@riminifiera.it.

2nd International Exhibition of Water Equipment and Services.
Over 200 exhibitors from 15 countries and 3,000 trade visitors are expected for the 2nd edition of this water trade show, jointly organized by Reed Expositions France and Symbiose-Communication-Environnement, in partnership with the Algerian Ministry of Water Resources.
The 6,000 m2 of exhibition space will bring together all the major Algerian players in the

water sector with the leading international operators, equipment suppliers and service providers. The show will also offer a major international symposium focusing on key Algerian priorities: Treatment of industrial pollution, Irrigation, Silting up of dams and Landslides.

For further information: www.siee-pollutec.com.

AGENDA

Click here for an industry event calendar provided by Environmental Expert, the world's leading online environmental marketplace and information resource.

About the European Environmental Press (EEP)