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'Growth, Jobs and Biodiversity' contains practical examples for how EU Funds can be used to create win-win situations for the economy, the environment and local communities.
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Reconciling Growth, Jobs and Biodiversity
12-11-2008
BirdLife asks governments for more creativity - and less environmental damage - when using EU funds.
On 12 November 2008, on the occasion of a major conference on the future of the EU Budget in Brussels, BirdLife International presented a publication with practical examples for how EU Funds can be used by governments and regions to create win-win situations for the economy, the environment and local communities– and which mistakes should be avoided. You can download the BirdLife publication 'Growth, Jobs and Biodiversity - learning from practice' here. (PDF 2.3MB)
Annabel Lambert, BirdLife’s coordinator on Regional Policy, stressed the existing financial opportunities, but also deplored the lack of creativity of many Member States in using them for environmentally friendly and economically profitable projects. She added: “We need to integrate, not trade-off, economic, social and environmental needs. For example, planning decisions must respect protected nature areas, because a healthy environment is essential for regional competitiveness as well as for our well-being, health and economic prosperity”.
'We need to integrate, not trade-off, economic, social and environmental needs' —Annabel Lambert, BirdLife's coordinator on Regional Policy
Often alternative solutions to environmentally damaging projects exist. Using 12 case studies from 10 European countries, the BirdLife publication shows how environmental concerns can be integrated into plans and projects from the start in order to avoid conflicts with EU legislation and implementation delays. An open and democratic approach to decision-making that respects the views of civil society is key to ensure that social and environmental concerns are addressed alongside economic issues. “Managing authorities in Member States should encourage, not hinder the participation of environmental stakeholders”.
Referring to the EU Budget Review, Konstantin Kreiser, EU Policy Manager at BirdLife International in Brussels said: “We Europeans are still miles away from effectively tackling the environmental crisis. We should learn from the current financial crisis: Taking measures today is much cheaper than fixing the damage later. The EU budget needs to reflect this, by making more money available for biodiversity conservation – both through dedicated funding and by using Structural and Agricultural budgets.”
'We Europeans are still miles away from effectively tackling the environmental crisis. We should learn from the current financial crisis: Taking measures today is much cheaper than fixing the damage later.' —Konstantin Kreiser, EU Policy Manager at BirdLife International
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Credits: BirdLife European Division, RSPB/BirdLife in UK