• Directive on sustainable use of pesticides
• Regulation on placing of plant protection products on the market (repealing Directives 79/117/EEC and 91/414/EEC)
• Directive on improving construction and maintenance of machinery for pesticide application

A key issue of concern for the golf industry has been the reference to “sports and recreation grounds” in earlier versions of the proposed Directive on sustainable use of pesticides.  In the final text, agreed by Ministers last week, there are two references:

(preamble)
(16) Use of pesticides can be particularly dangerous in very sensitive areas, such as
Natura 2000 sites protected in accordance with Directives 79/409/EEC and 92/43/EEC. In other places such as public parks and gardens, sports and recreation grounds, school grounds and children’s playgrounds, and in the close vicinity of healthcare facilities, the risks from exposure to pesticides are high. In these areas, the use of pesticides should be minimised or prohibited. When pesticides are used, appropriate risk management measures should be established and low-risk pesticides as well as biological control measures should be considered in the first place.

Article 12
Reduction of pesticide use or risks in specific areas

Member States shall, having due regard for the necessary hygiene and public health requirements and biodiversity, or the results of relevant risk assessments, ensure that the use of pesticides is minimised or prohibited in certain specific areas. Appropriate risk management measures shall be taken and the use of low-risk plant protection products as defined in Regulation (EC) No …/…+ and biological control measures shall be considered in the first place. The specific areas in question are:
(a) areas used by the general public or by vulnerable groups as defined in Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No …/…+, such as public parks and gardens, sports and recreation grounds, school grounds and children’s playgrounds and in the close vicinity of healthcare facilities;
(b) protected areas as defined in Directive 2000/60/EC or other areas identified for the purposes of establishing the necessary conservation measures in accordance with the provisions of Directives 79/409/EEC and 92/43/EEC;
(c) recently treated areas used by or accessible to agricultural workers.

The next step in the legal process is for these texts to be published in the Official Journal (OJ) of the European Union.  Here the laws are given formal reference numbers and dates indicating when they enter into force.

The Directive on sustainable use of pesticides will enter into force on the day following its publication in the OJ.  The other two items enter into force on the twentieth day following OJ publication.

EU Regulations have immediate effect throughout the EU, whilst Directives require national governments to bring into force implementing laws, regulations and administrative provisions. The final OJ texts will confirm the deadlines by which national governments must have implemented the Directives’ provisions. EU Directives can, in some circumstances, be “directly enforceable”.

Links:

Final agreed texts of:

Directive aimed at establishing a framework for Community action to achieve the sustainable use of pesticides so as to reduce the risks to human health and the environment and the dependency on the use of pesticides

Regulation concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market and repealing directives 79/117/EEC and 91/414/EEC so as to ensure a high level of protection of both human and animal health and the environment and to improve the functioning of the internal market through the harmonisation of the rules on the placing on the market of plant protection products, while improving agricultural production

Directive aimed at improving the construction and maintenance of machinery for pesticide application, with a view to reducing the adverse effects of pesticides on human health and the environment

Yesterday EU Environment Ministers expressed deep concern at this failure and at the increasing threats to biodiversity from invasive alien species.

Golf Europa reported in April on the high level conference in Athens on biodiversity.

Yesterday’s clear message from EU national governments paves the way for a shake-up in EU biodiversity policy.  Expect proposals from the European Commission to make EU biodiversity legislation wider in its coverage across Europe and deeper in its impact.  Legislation focusing on invasive species is also likely.

Ultimately, a widening and a deepening of EU biodiversity legislation could impact significantly on golf course design, remodelling and maintenance.  BirdLife International, however, has dismissed the Council Conclusions as “wishful thinking”.

At their meeting yesterday of the EU Environment Council, Ministers failed to reach agreement on the draft EU Directive on soil protection.  Some governments do not agree that legislation on soil policy is appropriate at EU level.

The proposal for 100% financing of ERDF projects will not now be brought forward.

Contrary to our report earlier this week, the European Regional Development Fund has not so far been included in this rule change.

This is, nonetheless, a big rule change in EU funding terms & is a response to the economic crisis.  The decision awaits formal approval by the EU national governments on 18-19 June.  If approved as expected, then it may mean a rapid acceleration in take-up of ESF grants in the next couple of years.

ESF is the main EU funding instrument for training; its total budget for the current EU programme period 2007-13 is €75billion.  Although part of the EU budget, ESF is mainly managed at national, regional & local levels. Whereas Leonardo & EQF are about transnational cooperation and innovation, ESF is much more about actual training delivery.  The cliche used is Leonardo is a small research lab & ESF is the big factory.  The allocation of ESF, like the Regional Fund, is prioritised in favour of the poorest regions. There is also a small pot of ESF for transnational cooperation.

Normally ESF requires match-finance, usually from a public authority.  This can be a stumbling block.  100% is obviously a lot more attractive & should generate a lot of project activity.  But national govts are extremely unlikely to add to the overall ESF pot before 2013.  The strong possibility is that ESF availability will be severely diminished post 2010.

Now really is a good time for organisations looking to access grant aid for training purposes to consider the ESF.

Links for further info:
today’s European Commission decision

intro to ESF

In response to the economic crisis, the European Commission is expected this week to change the rules on EU regional and training grants.  At present, project promoters have to finance between 15-50% of project costs when they obtain a grant from the European Regional Development Fund or the European Social Fund.  This is often an important stumbling block.

The Commission is expected to propose 100% financing from ERDF and ESF for 2009 and 2010 projects.

No new money is proposed to be added to the EU budget to finance this rule change.

In 2008, the European Parliament called on the European Commission to propose an EU sport programme as well as Preparatory Action in the field of sport as of 2009. The Parliament approved a budget of €6 million for 2009.

Priorities in the 2009 Preparatory Action are:

1. Providing policy support for the identification of future policy actions in the area of sport through studies, surveys, conferences and seminars
2. Testing the establishment and functioning of suitable networks and good practices through call for proposals
3. Promoting greater European visibility at sporting events (two events already identified – 2009 Mediterranean Games in Pescara, Italy and the 2009 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Tampere, Finland

Item 2 will support transnational projects promoting:

• health-enhancing physical activity
• education and training in sport
• sport for persons with disabilities
• gender equality in sport

The budget available for item 2 is € 4,000,000.

EU co-financing will be provided to a maximum of 80% of the total project costs. The external co-financing can be partly made up of contributions in-kind.

Projects must start between 01.12.2009 and 31.03.2010 and end no later than 31.03.2011. The eligibility period for costs will begin on the date specified in the contract, i.e. the project start date.

The deadline for submission of applications to the European Commission is 31.08.2009

Links:

• Texts relating to the call for proposals (EAC/21/2009)
• European Commission 2009 Annual Work Programme on grants and contracts for the preparatory actions in the field of sport and special events [C (2009)1685]

EU biodiversity legislation already impacts on the golf industry but the current influence is focused on golf clubs in priority areas designated by the EU Natura 2000 network and the EU Habitats and Birds Directives.  Golf Europa has reported on this influence at Doonbeg in Ireland.

The importance of EU biodiversity policy is set to spread throughout Europe.  As Jacqueline McGlade, Executive Director of the EU’s Environment Agency told the conference:

“We must not focus all our efforts on preserving islands of biodiversity while losing nature everywhere else”.

The conference also called for a comprehensive set of EU policies for tackling Invasive Species including, where appropriate, new legislation.  At some golf clubs in Europe, Rhododendron ponticum is a highly valued golf course feature.  Will future EU biodiversity legislation force clubs to remove it?

Scientists acknowledge that biodiversity is in crisis around the world, and that too little is being done to protect it. Europe has a target date of 2010 for halting biodiversity loss in the EU, and while some progress has been made in halting the decline, the original target is unlikely to be met. The Athens conference examined ways of improving its performance. It was attended by leading scientists, politicians, economists and academics from all EU Member States.  It has prepared the ground for future development of EU biodiversity policy by agreeing an eight-point plan for nature protection:

1. A vision of why biodiversity matters: the message of “why biodiversity matters” needs to be clear and made more prominent. EU institutions and national governments should agree a clear post-2010 target regarding biodiversity, which should be ambitious, measurable and clear and should include sectoral sub-targets that address the key challenges facing European biodiversity.
2. A better understanding of where we are and what we need to do:  the conference recommended that biodiversity research should be made a higher priority.
3. A fully functioning network of protected areas: the terrestrial part of the Natura 2000 network should be completed by 2010 and the marine part soon after. EU nature legislation should be enforced more effectively
4. Protecting “ordinary” biodiversity in Europe:  the conference statement stresses that biodiversity policy should evolve towards the protection of entire ecosystems, not just high nature value protected areas, echoing the quote above from the EEA Director. The conference also called for a comprehensive set of EU policies for tackling Invasive Species including, where appropriate, new legislation and repeated calls for measures to protect Europe’s soils (see Golf Europa http://golfeuropa.co.uk/index.php?s=soil)
5. Protecting global biodiversity: Europe’s “biodiversity footprint” in the rest of the world is large and is growing, and this needs to be addressed.
6. Integration of biodiversity into other policy areas: review the impacts that EU policies, and EU funds, have on biodiversity, including biodiversity loss in third countries and promote policies that allow EU businesses to profit from protecting biodiversity.
7. Funding: the actual level of financial resources allocated to nature protection remains relatively small. This needs to be addressed.
8. Climate Change: we cannot solve biodiversity loss without addressing climate change and vice versa. We therefore need to look for the “triple win” of biodiversity that can actively contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation.

Conference link:  Biodiversity protection beyond 2010: priorities and options for future EU policy

This may offer new financing opportunities for golf developers, where their projects are in accordance with local and regional development priorities.

Contact Golf Europa and your local council Economic Development Unit for more information.

Lots of EU funding has now moved east but golf continues to be used as a successful tool of regional economic development.

A quick trawl of the web shows the GolfPark Darkov project in the Czech Republic, a 9-hole golf course with a driving range to broaden the tourism offer in Karviná.

It’s not just the European Regional Development Fund that is being used.  See the website of an innovative Czech training project, “Golf – specific activity of tourism, principles and rules in the golf resort” using the European Social Fund.

The official Ministry of Finance website for Structural Funds in Estonia shows a similar mix of ERDF and ESF golf projects developed in Estonia.  Courtesy of Google Translate, we can see a basic list of 18 golf-related projects approved since 2004 in English.  Please ignore the first entry and the reference to USD, which should be Estonian krooni.  Despite these glitches, the list is an interesting indication of how golf is once again forming part of EU regional economic growth programmes.

Link to Ministry of Finance list – appears in Estonian, then use Google Translate to read in English.

Golf Europa will return to look again at this subject.  Feel free to call for advice: +358 40 360 1623 or skype: golf.europa