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News in Brief
Oil pollution in the Baltic Sea
At a conference on Bornholm in early 2003 the Danish EPA will review Danish efforts to combat oil pollution of the Baltic Sea and will examine what can be done to enable the East European countries to live up to the relevant international regulations under the Helsinki Convention and the EU.
Further information: Mikala Klint, Danish EPA. Phone: +45 3266 0233. E-mail: mkl@mst.dk
Water Directors meet in Copenhagen
Water Directors from EU Member States, candidate countries, the European Commission, Norway and Switzerland gathered in Copenhagen on 21–22 November to discuss a common strategy for implementation of the Water Framework Directive.
Further information: Steen Pedersen, Danish EPA. Phone: +45 3266 0357. E-mail: spe@mst.dk
What does the law say about chemical substances and products?
The Danish EPA has published an updated version of a pamphlet on the regulation of chemicals. It provides an overview of the requirements for classification, labelling, packaging and storage of chemical substances and products, as well as information on the sale of toxic substances and about products to which special rules apply.
Further information: Hanne Thygesen, Danish EPA. Phone: +45 3266 0135. E-mail: ht@mst.dk
The pamphlet is available at: http://www.mst.dk/chemi/pdf/whatdoes.pdf
Are humpback whales affected by offshore drilling and exploration?
The migratory and diving behaviour of four humpback whales has been investigated along the west coast of Greenland. The information obtained indicates that the humpback whales prefer the shallow areas close to the banks. In 2000, the closest position to offshore drilling, which took place at a depth of more than 1000 m, was 45 km. Further studies are needed before final conclusions can be drawn, however. This is apparent from a new report prepared by the National Environmental Research Institute and the Greenland Institute for Natural Resources for the Government of Greenland Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum.
Further information: Rune Dietz. National Environmental Research Institute. Phone: +45 4630 1938. E-mail: rdi@dmu.dk
The full report is available at:
http://www.dmu.dk/1_viden/2_Publikationer/3_fagrapporter/abstrakter/abs_411_uk.asp
Political agreement on the movement of GMOs within the EU
The first Environment Council meeting during the Danish EU Presidency was very successful. The meeting was held on 17 October 2002 in Luxembourg. The Ministers reached a political agreement on a common position on the proposal for regulating the transboundary movement of genetically modified organisms. This proposal has been accorded high priority during the first months of the Danish EU Presidency as it is a necessary step towards EU implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The Council’s common position will soon be returned to the European Parliament for a second reading. Given the progress being made, the Danish EU Presidency hopes for early final adoption of the regulation.
Further information: Rikke Reumert Schaltz, Danish Forest and Nature Agency. Phone: +45 3947 2270. E-mail: rsc@sns.dk
Read more about the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety at:
http://www.biodiv.org/biosafety/
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