Stella Kyriakides to become new commissioner for health
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Broad support in ENVI committee for her nomination
Stella Kyriakides will become new commissioner for health. This is for sure now, after her Hearing on Tuesday night in the European Parliament’s ENVI committee, where she performed great. On Wednesday the coordinators of the political groups nominated her with broad majority. MEP Peter Liese, EPP spokesperson on health was very pleased with Stella Kyriakides' performance at the European Parliament as well as the support of his colleagues. "Stella Kyriakides is indeed highly qualified for this post. She impressed with detailed knowledge and a vision for the EU’s health policy. As she herself suffered from cancer and won the fight against the disease, she emotionally showed that she is able empathize with patients and that she will do everything possible to fight cancer in Europe. She also showed great persuasiveness in topics such as telemedicine, combating antimicrobial resistances and the development of pesticides with fewer risks", Liese concluded.
UN sub-organization torpedoes EU climate action
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Peter Liese criticizes International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO / aviation lobby wants to destroy EU emissions trading / Debate in the ENVI committee on Wednesday
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), actually a specialized agency of the United Nations, does not only do very little to implement climate protection measures but is now even torpedoing climate protection. "Already in 1997, the ICAO was given the task of regulating climate protection within the international air traffic as stated in the Kyoto Protocol. Unfortunately, since then, only very little has been done. Now, they are discussing a draft for an international agreement called CORSIA, which is completely unambitious. The only obligation is to achieve "carbon-neutral growth" by 2020. After that, however, the emissions, which are standard until 2020, remained completely unconsidered. For every additional ton of CO2, the airlines are supposed to carry out so-called offset measures. These are climate protection measures implemented elsewhere in order to compensate the aircrafts’ emissions. The rules on the quality of these offset measures are extremely weak and do not guarantee adequate climate protection," says the Member of the European Parliament and spokesman on environment of the biggest political group in the European Parliament (EPP- Christian Democrats), Dr. Peter Liese.
Situation of forests will be priority for the European Parliament in the next months
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Peter Liese: sustainable solution for forests in the European Union and worldwide / Initiative Report of ENVI committee and debate in Plenary September in Strasbourg
“The devastating situation of the forests inside the European Union and worldwide will be a priority of the European Parliament in the next months”, said Peter Liese, environment spokesman of the biggest group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats). The coordinators of the ENVI committee decided to not only do a hearing on deforestation worldwide but also to ask for legislative initiative report “We need concrete sustainable action and not only actionism. For the EPP Group it is also important to protect the forests inside the European Union. We have a major crisis in the forests in central Europe. Experts warn that in big areas fifty percent of the forests will be destroyed by drought and by the bork beetle. All actors at European, national and local level need to work together to protect our forest and to immediately support forestation. Our forests, not only in other parts of the world but also in Europe are important to protect the climate but at the same time they are a major economic factor. Sustainable forest management is indispensable from an environmental and economic point of view", said Liese.
Europe to become climate neutral
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Environment Committee supports the European Commission’s plan/ Dispute over 2030 targets
The European Union is to become climate neutral. A large majority of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee supported this vision, which the European Commission presented last November. By 2050, forests or modern technologies that extract CO2 from the atmosphere will offset all remaining greenhouse gases emitted in Europe.
The environmental policy spokesperson of the largest political Group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats) Dr Peter Liese supported the decision: “The European Commission has shown that the ambitious vision is possible without harming the economy or jobs. We can even generate additional jobs and economic growth. It is now important that the Council of the heads of state and government also adopt the plan at its summit on the future of Europe in Sibiu, Romania, in May”.