EU advisory body adopts recommendations
Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks stressed the importance of resource efficiency in Brussels today. "Competitiveness and safeguarding Europa as a place to do business depend to no small degree on how efficiently we use our raw materials, water, land and energy. Natural resources are at the basis of our prosperity," said Hendricks following the closing session of European Resource Efficiency Platform EREP. The advisory group established by EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik presented its recommendations today.
The Federal Environment Minister advocated giving higher priority to resource efficiency in European growth policy. She said: "It is in particular in economically difficult times for Europe that we have to exploit the potential for resource efficiency in growth and employment to a larger extent. Germany plans to double its raw material productivity by 2020 compared with 1994. I believe that a comparable target should also be adopted at the European level." She added that the European Resource Efficiency Platform had made important recommendations in this context. "Economy, politics and civil society are working in concert here," Hendricks stressed.
The recommendations adopted by the European Resource Efficiency Platform offer a wide set of strategic approaches in all spheres of the economy. They range from resource efficiency as a topic of education and training as well as of research and development to the dissemination of innovative business models to enterprise advice and product design.