What Have We Been Up To?

• EU leaders met on May 22 to discuss how to lower energy prices and ‘improve’ European industrial competitiveness. However, a coalition of climate justice groups warns that under the rhetoric of boosting growth, productivity and employment, lays the intention of furthering fossil fuel extraction including shale gas.

• On the eve of the European Parliament vote on the European Commission’s Proposal to backload 900 million emissions permits within the EP Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), Food & Water Europe has released a report on the myths behind ETS reform. We argue that keeping this failed system in place would further delay real action for reducing emissions in Europe.
• On the occasion of the World Water Week 2013 and the year of International Cooperation in Water, Food & Water Europe is organizing an event on “Reclaiming the Right to Water in Europe: Citizens Participation, Democracy & Commons taking place in the European Parliament. 

• A growing group of civil society organisations is calling on the EU to abolish its Emission Trading System (ETS) to open space for truly effective climate policies. Food & Water Europe is part of the Scrap ETS Campaign which sent this contribution to the European Commission’s public consultation on structural options to strengthen the EU ETS. 

• 

  We recently held a conference in the European Parliament on the Common Agricultural Policy.

  Food & Water Europe sent a letter to all Spanish MEPs urging them to protect public water and ask for a vote in plenary on the concessions directive instead of going straight to premature negotiations with the Council.

• Food & Water Europe responded to a consultation by the European Commission about the development of unconventional fossil fuels in Europe. We made it clear that that the risks and negative impacts associated with large-scale shale gas development far outweigh any potential benefits. We reiterate our position that hydraulic fracturing should be banned and that the development of unconventional gas is incompatible with an accelerated transition to a low-carbon economy.
• Food & Water Europe together with a group of organizations from the network fighting against the financialization of nature sent the European Commission questions concerning its stance on the Green Economy in the context of a public consultation on the EU’s post Rio+20 goals. Read the letter and the questions. 
• Food & Water Europe co-hosted a citizens’ form on the commons in Paris on 24 November 2012 – What Future for Water and Commons in Europe?
• 

  Food & Water Europe together with the Council of Canadians and other groups – CEO, PSI, France Libertés etc. presented a letter to the European Parliament urging them to support the UN resolution on the human right to water.

  Together with other civil society groups, Food & Water Europe has demanded for changes to be made at EFSA – the European Food Safety Authority – in Parma this week

• Please find enclosed the  conference programme ”Naivety or rationality?: Understanding the impacts and risks associated with hydraulic fracturing in Poland “, organized jointly by the Food & Water Europe and the Foundation. Heinrich Böll Foundation in Warsaw on 22.10.2012.

• W załączeniu przesyłąm program konrencji “Naiwność czy racjonalność?:

• Zrozumienie oddziaływania i ryzyka związanego ze szczelinowaniem hydraulicznym w Polsce“, organizowanej wspólnie przez Food & Water Europe oraz Fundację im. Heinricha Bölla w Warszawie w dniu 22.10.2012.

• Food & Water Europe responds to the findings of studies, commissioned by the European Commission, about the environmental, climate and health impacts of fracking

• Food & Water Europe together with other groups in Brussels has sent a letter to the European Parliament concerning transparency in the CAP reform process. Read the letter here.

Ways to Get Involved

• Sign up to stay informed
• Learn more in our newsletters

Contact Us

Rue d’Edimbourg 26
Brussels 1050
Belgium
P +32(0)2893 1045
M +32(0)488409662

Gabriella Zanzanaini: gzanzanaini(at)fweurope(dot)org

Eve Mitchell: emitchell(at)fweurope(dot)org

Anna Witowska: awitowska(at)fweurope(dot)org