Today, the Chair of IMPEL, Prof. Dimitris Dermatas, took part in the official opening session of the high-level summit in Brussels together with Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, during the EU Green Week. In his statement Dimitris highlighted the need for the practical implementation and enforcement of laws on the ground in order to make environmental policies work. As examples of IMPEL’s work he mentioned the Enforcement Actions on transfontier shipments of waste and the IMPEL Review Iniatives.
“There is no circle in a circular economy if the waste ends up illegally outside the EU ” said Prof. Dermatas.
After the opening statements by the key-note speakers, a panel discussion took place where key issues, like the low level of sanctioning of cases of non-compliance, were questioned.
Delighted to be with our opening session guests@MartineAubry
And @WWFEU @IMPELNetwork #hazardouswasteEurope
watch the opening of our #EUGreenWeek Brussels conference LIVE 🔴 Now https://t.co/CCShiWcuYP pic.twitter.com/BGDFDBwGRz
— Karmenu Vella (@KarmenuVella) May 15, 2019
IMPEL is further promoting its LIFE SWEAP project at the LIFE Programme stand. This project will also be a topic during the ‘Learning from LIFE’ session on 16th May. In this session representatives of LIFE projects, all frontrunners in finding better solutions to the implementation of environmental policies, will share their insights. What are recipes for good cooperation between authorities and other stakeholders? How to integrate environmental policies with economic and social benefits? How can we mobilise public support from citizens and businesses? What are success factors for a better implementation of environmental policies? How can we improve learning from innovative practices? Following an overview of success factors from the latest Commission Environmental Implementation Review (EIR) participants will have the opportunity to exchange their own experiences and discover new solutions in small interactive groups hosted by LIFE project leaders.
EU Green Week 2019
This edition of EU Green Week (13-17 May 2019) puts the process of environmental implementation into the spotlight. Questions discussed are for example – do these laws really matter, and what the added benefits are for citizens? What does successful implementation look like? Why do “implementation gaps” exist? How can we move from knowing that stakeholders need to take ownership of these laws to actually making it happen? And most importantly, how can the EU facilitate the process, making sure that citizens’ voices are heard? For more information about the EU Green Week, please visit the event website.