24/06/2015
Original article in German
From Austria Presse Agentur-OTS
A comprehensive debate on the current environmental policy with a focus on climate change, protection of people and the environment from toxic substances, stop the waste of food and better environmental information for citizens graduated from the Environment Committee in a several-hour meeting with the current report on "environmental investment of federal 2014 "(III-180 dB) at the top of his agenda. Thereafter, the Committee adopted the government bills and international treaties to the National Assembly plenary session and recommended to the legislature the majority to limit the obligation of airlines to participate in emissions trading to flights within Europe and to facilitate small airlines to report on their emissions.
In Environmental Information Act the legal protection is improved for public access to environmental information. In the European Chemicals Act hazard classes for toxins will also apply to mixtures and biocides, definition and management of poisons is simplified. International agreements regulate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the second Kyoto period from 2013 to 2020 - a request by the Greens for a more ambitious climate protection program of Austria was rejected by a majority.
The desire of the FPÖ-MPs Susanne Winter on protection of meadows as habitats of bees was all MEPs at heart - this application achieved unanimous approval. All other Opposition motions were adjourned majority. The NEOS demanded mandatory to inform tenants and property buyers about lead pipes in Althäusern. In the anti-nuclear policy, the FPÖ would examine options for giving up the Euratom Treaty, while the NEOS themed the still unresolved question of nuclear waste.
Measures against food waste called Green and citizens that also an "anti-disposable Act" initiated. Ulrike Weigerstorfer (T) demanded measures against soil sealing and better protect people from chemicals, such as in front of the carcinogenic pesticide glyphosate. Finally went Christiane Brunner of the Greens once again for the full implementation of 1998 signed the Aarhus Convention strongly. This provides for the right of citizens to have access to information before and participation rights in approval procedures, on judicial enforcement of environmental rights, to affordable legal protection against environmental violations by public or private, and the right to regulations.
Rupprechter wants to meet climate targets by 2020 without purchasing emission
Environment Minister Andrä Rupprechter illustrated the continuation of the success story "environmental subsidies" in the previous year, pointing to the approval of 23 projects with an investment volume of € 1.8 billion, up 8 million tonnes CO2 saving over the life of the investment, the cleaning the waters of dirt at a height of 50,000 population equivalents, and to the safeguarding and rehabilitation of contaminated sites pointing. Austria had achieved its Kyoto targets on climate change in the period 2008-2012 and will reach agreed with the EU climate protection goals by 2020 without additional purchase of emission certificates with the recently adopted by the Federal Government program of measures, Rupprechter said. The minister even deemed it possible to exceed these targets.
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