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Press release
22 March 2005

Environmental NGOs: Make Europe the most resource and energy efficient economy in the world


Brussels, 22 March 2005 - At the opening of the European Council, the Green 9 group of environmental organisations urged the European Heads of State and Government to add an additional goal to the Lisbon Strategy: make Europe the most resource and energy efficient economy in the world. The proposal was put forward last week at a meeting between environmental NGOs and the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, who supported the idea.

"This is a great opportunity to enhance the EU economy and the environment," said Tony Long, Director of WWF European Policy Office.

"Increasing energy and resource efficiency in Europe will improve competitiveness, boost innovation, create jobs, respect the environment and improve citizens health," said Martin Rocholl of Friends of the Earth Europe. "Most of the products and services in the EU could be produced with less resources and energy. The technology is already there."

"Transforming our economy in this way needs concrete measures, including ending environmentally damaging subsidies, a better Environmental Technology Action Plan with performance targets for products and services, national initiatives to boost green public procurement, new initiatives for environmental tax reforms to reduce labour costs and pricing waste of natural resources, and tax advantages for green risk capital", added John Hontelez, Secretary General of the European Environmental Bureau.


For further information:
Martin Rocholl, Director of Friends of the Earth Europe, tel.: 02-5420183, email martin.rocholl@foeeurope.org
John Hontelez, Secretary General of EEB, tel. 02-2891090, hontelez@eeb.org
Claudia Delpero, Press Officer, WWF European Policy Office, tel. 02-7400925, email cdelpero@wwfepo.org


Notes to editors:
The Green 9 group of environmental NGOs includes:
Birdlife International
Climate Action Network Europe (CAN-Europe)
European Environmental Bureau
European Public Health Alliance - Environment Network
European Federation for Transport and the Environment
Friends of the Earth Europe
Greenpeace European Unit
International Friends of Nature
WWF European Policy Office

At the European Council in Lisbon in 2000, EU Heads of State and Government launched an economic reform aiming to make the European Union "the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world" by 2010. The environmental dimension was added to the Lisbon strategy at the European Council in Gothenburg, in 2001. In February 2005, half-way through the process, the European Commission proposed a review of the Lisbon strategy which focuses on two main areas: productivity and employment. The review is one of the major issues in the agenda of the European Council meeting in Brussels on 22-23 March.

Environmental organisations are not alone in their plea for a Lisbon agenda with a clear environmental dimension. See the co-operation of EEB with the European Trade Unions Confederation and the Platform of European Social NGOs: www.eeb.org and http://www.eeb.org/activities/sustainable_development/Index.htm