It shows lots of areas of European Commission 2010 work, which may impact on the golf industry:

Review of the list of priority substances under the Water Framework Directive
The Water Framework Directive requires the Commission to review the list of priority substances every 4 years and the deadline for the next proposal is January 2011. Priority substances are those posing a risk to or via the aquatic environment at EU level. They are part of the basis of the EU strategy to combat chemical pollution in EU water

Communication on a new post-2010 EU biodiversity policy and strategy
As reported in previous Golf Europa posts.

EU Plant Health Strategy
The European Commission is developing a new Community plant health strategy, covering topics such as invasive species and seeds.

Relaunch of the Single Market
This Communication will provide a diagnosis of the ‘missing links’ and set direction for a relaunch of the Single Market to deliver on its full potential.

New policy for GMO cultivation
Following the presentation of the political guidelines, the Commission will come forward by the end of June with a concrete initiative on how to allow freedom for Member States to decide about cultivation of GMOs on their territories

Communication on the sustainable competitiveness of the EU construction sector
The Communication will focus on four strategic objectives aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of the sector: (a) a coherent quality policy for the sector; (b) an improved regulatory environment, in particular for public procurement, competition, registration and qualification systems, health & safety and payment delays; (c) better provision of education and training ; (d) strengthening of research, innovation and knowledge deployment. This Communication will also focus on the role of this sector in the fight against climate change.

Revision of the Working Time
New proposed Directive expected.

Communication on the renewed EU Tourism Policy Framework
The Communication will outline possible fields of actions at EU, national and regional level, as well as by the industry and other stakeholders.

Revision of the 1990 Council Directive on Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours
The existing Directive no longer provides adequate protection for consumers going on holidays; nor does it provide sufficient legal certainty for businesses. Due to the minimum harmonisation of the Directive, the legal fragmentation in Member States is significant, causing compliance costs for businesses eager to trade cross-border and can also cause detriment for consumers trying to pursue their legal rights in a cross-border context.

Green Paper on a new VAT strategy
Consultation document on a new VAT Strategy with a view to adopt a “new VAT
strategy” Communication in 2011.

Community initiative on work-related musculoskeletal disorders
The objective is to integrate into a single legislative instrument the provisions on the protection of the health and safety of workers from the risks of musculo-skeletal disorders at work.

Directive 2000/14/EC on noise emissions in the environment by equipment used outdoors
The proposal will simplify the operation of the Directive, review its conformity assessment procedures, and improve market surveillance.

Sport provisions in the Lisbon Treaty
This communication will make proposals for the implementation of the new competence on sport in the Lisbon treaty, including establishing a framework for political cooperation.

A large number of EU Communications and Recommendations are also expected in the vocational education and training field.

Some observers suggest that one of the “blocking minority”, France, may be considering lifting its objections. If it does, this will open the way for the new EU Soil Directive to be adopted.  The new European Commissioner for environment policy, Janez Potočnik, is seeking to make progress on this proposal.

Last Friday, the European Commission published a new report on ‘Soil biodiversity: functions, threats and tools for policy makers‘.

Having failed with their 2010 target, the 27 governments agreed to try to do more to halt biodiversity loss.

Ministers chose the toughest of four options presented by the European Commission in a January policy paper: “halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, and restoring them in so far as feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss.”

The Council conclusions also outline the EU vision for protecting species in the EU by 2050.

The European Commission now has to draw up a new 2020 biodiversity strategy.

It remains to be seen whether this new 2020 biodiversity target will be any more successful than its 2010 predecessor.  A good indicator will be the extent to which the EU’s draft 2020 growth strategy takes account of the new EU biodiversity 2020 target. The EU’s 2020 growth strategy is due to be agreed shortly by EU Heads of State & Government.

The likely impact of this new initiative on the golf industry will become clearer as details emerge of the European Commission’s new 2020 biodiversity strategy and of new mainstream, cross-cutting EU policies and strategies, such as the 2020 growth strategy.

Link – to the text of the Environment Council “Conclusions on biodiversity post-2010”

• 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.

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

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 list of golf-related projects approved since 2004 in English (a couple of the projects are not golf-industry projects).  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

The WCSE is organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) will deliver an insight into how golf is addressing environmental issues with a focus on The 2010 Ryder Cup.  Key targets include:

• significantly reducing the number of people in cars;
• moving towards a zero waste event;
• procurement of Fairtrade and local products,
• materials and services;
• use of low carbon vehicles for transportation; and
• the protection and enhancement of the site ecology, landscape and significant cultural heritage interests.

GEO is an independent, non-profit organisation working to maximise the social, environmental and economic benefits of golf.  Borne out of a partnership project between the European Golf Association, R&A, European Tour and European Commission, GEO has been driving environmental initiatives in golf since 1994.

The comprehensive new GEO website is scheduled to launch in late April 2009. A group of 60 pioneer golf clubs in Europe and beyond are currently trialling the on-line GEO Certification system.

Visit http://www.golfenvironment.org/

In 2006, the European Commission issued a proposed Soil Framework Directive.  Since then, national governments have failed to agree that an EU Directive was appropriate on soil.

At this week’s meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers, the German government suggested the EU consider a “European Soil Protection Strategy” rather than a legally binding Directive.

There will be further consideration of this suggestion.