"The EU deeply regrets the loss of life during the Israeli military operation in international waters against the Flotilla sailing to Gaza and offers its condolences to the families of the victims.

The EU condemns the use of violence that has produced a high number of victims among the members of the flotilla and demands an immediate, full and impartial inquiry into the events and the circumstances surrounding them.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains a source of grave concern.

The EU does not accept the continued policy of closure. It is unacceptable and politically counterproductive. We need to urgently achieve a durable solution to the situation in Gaza.

The EU underlines its call for an immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of crossings for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from Gaza.

The EU calls on Israel to urgently provide Member States with consular access to and information about their citizens.

The EU calls upon all parties and relevant actors to prevent a further escalation of tensions and underlines the need to continue the proximity talks with a view to the resumption of direct negotiations."

The European Commission yesterday put forward proposals for an improved EU supervision of Credit Rating Agencies and launched a debate on corporate governance in financial institutions.

The Commission’s proposals on credit rating agencies were already planned as part of the EU’s new system for supervising the financial industry - endorsed by EU leaders last year. But the draft rules come amid fresh calls for tighter oversight of these private companies.

Until now, most financial supervision has been done at the national level. The new system calls for the creation of a European supervisory authority to oversee securities and markets. This new body would have direct and exclusive oversight of credit rating agencies registered in the EU, including European branches of agencies based outside the EU. Three of the most popular agencies - Fitch, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s – have headquarters in New York.

Under the measures tabled yesterday, the securities authority, expected to be up and running by 2011, would have the power to launch investigations, carry out inspections, propose fines and even prohibit them from operating in the EU. Credit institutions, banks and investment firms would have to make information available to agencies they do not use, so that those agencies could produce independent ratings on their products.

It is believed that centralised supervision of the agencies will lead to more transparency in operations, more protection for investors and increased competition in the credit ratings industry.

The Commission also launched yesterday a public consultation on corporate governance rules for the financial sector, including insurance companies. Among the issues up for debate: how to improve the functioning and composition of corporate boards for the purpose of supervising senior management and how to involve shareholders, financial supervisors and external auditors in corporate governance.

The EU is also seeking feedback on how to pay bankers without encouraging excessive risk-taking. The Commission has issued recommendations on remuneration policies but two EU reports published today show many countries have yet to act on the advice.

See here for further details.

Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn's visit to Washington, 27 May to 1 June 2010

European Commissioner for Research and Innovation Máire Geoghegan-Quinn visited Washington from 27 May-1 June. The visit, which was the Commissioner's first official visit outside the EU, included meetings with a number of key figures in the US Administration and Congress, including Dr John P. Holdren, the leading science advisor to President Obama, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and Chair of US Congress House Science and Technology Committee, Bart Gordon.

In the course of her visit, the Commissioner made a number of speeches including a keynote address to a Roundtable Lunch hosted by the European-American Business Council (EABC). Read the full speech here.

The Commissioner also attended a reception hosted by the EU Delegation in Washington during which she made the following remarks: "I think it's very important to let the rest of the world - and the United States in particular - know that despite the fact that Europe is going through a very severe economic crisis, the same as is happening right around the world, that the European Union is open for business. We want to attract the best and the brightest to the Union. We have decided that the exit strategy, research, innovation and science plays a key role in that as, indeed, has the United States made the same decision. So, there are a lot of common areas where we can cooperate and where we want to let the United States know we are open for business. Europe is not all doom and gloom. We want to produce a research and innovation strategy in the autumn to the heads of state and government which will be the road map and the critical path to take us out of the economic recession."

For further details, visit the Commissioner's website.

EU greenhouse gas emissions: more than half way to the '20 % target by 2020'

The European Union's greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory report, compiled by the European Environment Agency (EEA), shows that emissions have not only continued their downward trend in 2008, but have also picked up pace. The EU-27's emissions stood 11.3 % below their 1990 levels, while the EU-15 achieved a reduction of 6.9 % compared to Kyoto base-year levels.

The combination of high coal and carbon prices accompanied by a drop in natural gas prices in 2008 induced heat and electricity producers to replace more polluting coal by gas and as a result, reduce their GHG emissions. The use of biomass and other renewable sources (wind and hydroelectric power) has also increased significantly in 2008. The economic recession also contributed to emission reductions from several sectors including the manufacturing and construction, and road transport sectors. Road transport emissions were also affected by high oil prices, the continued decline in gasoline consumption and a reversal of the upward trend in diesel sales.

See here for further details.

Calls for taxation regimes to reflect impacts on the environment

Yesterday (Wednesday) the European Commission, together with the UN Environmental Programme, launched a major new report highlighting the need for a radical change in the way major economies are using scarce resources. Major findings include the news that over half of all world food crops are now fed to animals, and that a doubling of wealth leads typically to an increase of environmental pressure by 60 to 80 per cent. The 149-page report, put together by the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management, indicates that legislators and policymakers looking to make the most impact on the Earth’s well-being should use taxes and other incentives to encourage more eco-friendly agricultural practices and reduce the use of fossil fuels.

See here for further details.

EU-Russia summit

The 25th EU-Russia Summit took place in Rostov-on-Don on 31 May and 1 June. The Summit was hosted by President Dmitry Medvedev, accompanied by the Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergey Lavrov. The EU was represented by Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council, and by José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission. The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and European Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht also attended the Summit.

The leaders gave their backing to an EU-Russia Partnership for Modernisation and agreed a Joint Statement setting out the main priority areas for future work. They also discussed joint policy responses to the global economic crisis, recent developments in the EU and Russia in this regard, as well as steps towards stronger global economic governance. The EU recalled the importance of respecting commitments made at the G20 Summit in April, 2009, notably in avoiding protectionist measures. The EU also stressed its continued support for early Russian accession to the WTO.

See here for further details.

US requests emergency EU assistance in fighting oil spill disaster

The EU Commission’s Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) has received an emergency request for assistance from the United States Coast Guard to provide specific types of oil recovery equipment. Following an assessment the MIC has been able to offer equipment available from Spain, the Netherlands and the European Maritime Safety Agency.

"We stand shoulder to shoulder with our American friends as they work to deal with this environmental disaster. We have already developed an excellent cooperation on emergency response and this positive reaction from Europe to the call for equipment for the Gulf of Mexico is an international solidarity in dealing with ecological disasters." said Kristalina Georgieva, Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response.

See here for further details.

Sahel region: Additional €24 million for humanitarian aid purposes

The Commission has decided yesterday to allocate an additional €24 million to be used in assisting over seven million vulnerable people affected by the food crisis in Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and northern Nigeria. The new funds will permit the financing of more operations in the nutrition and health sectors. This includes blanket supplementary feeding programmes, screening and treatment of acute malnutrition of children, free access to health services for emergency cases and mobile health services for pastoralist population.

See here for further details.

Consultation on corporate governance in financial institutions and remuneration policies

The Commission launched yesterday (Wednesday) a public consultation on corporate governance rules for the financial sector, including insurance companies. Among the issues up for debate: how to improve the functioning and composition of corporate boards for the purpose of supervising senior management and how to involve shareholders, financial supervisors and external auditors in corporate governance. The Commission is also seeking feedback on how to pay bankers without encouraging excessive risk-taking.

The consultation is open until 1st September 2010. Any future legislative or non-legislative proposals will be adopted in the course of 2011.

Background : The financial crisis revealed significant weaknesses in corporate governance in financial institutions: board supervision and control of management was insufficient; risk management was weak; inadequate remuneration structures for both directors and traders led to excessive risk-taking and short-termism; and shareholders did not exercise control over risk-taking in the financial institutions they owned. These weaknesses played a role in the crisis and timely and effective checks and balances in governance systems would help preventing any future crisis.

See here for further details.

Ireland's wildlife filmed by Éamon de Buitléar is one of the centrepieces of a huge European Conference on the environment taking place in Brussels this week.

As Greenweek 2010 kicks off in Brussels with Europe's largest annual conference on the environment, "Ireland's Ecosystems and Wildlife on Film" by Ireland's best-known nature film producer is being shown today (3 June) to help illustrate this year's theme of biodiversity.

And Ireland's wetlands (bogs) are the subject of a session by Dr Rory Harrington, Senior Scientist with the Irish Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Dr Harrington leads the Department’s ‘Integrated Constructed Wetland’ (ICW) Initiative.

Species of plants and animals are being lost forever more than one hundred times faster than historical rates, according to the UN. To protect animals like the Iberian lynx – down to the last 100 – the EU is working out a new long-term vision for the next 40 years up to 2050.

Seventeen per cent of EU territory has now got some degree of protection through the Natura 2000 programme. In Ireland, 132 fragile areas join the 3000 European sites which have some special protection. This means the sites are of European (if not world-wide) importance.

But climate change, invasive species and certain land-use continue to be a serious threat to the flora and fauna of the continent. Long-term, ecosystems can collapse and the damage is irreversible with huge human and economic consequences.

Green Week 2010 is looking at the current state of biodiversity and nature, offering potential solutions to the current alarming rates of loss.

This week will also see the launch of the Business and Biodiversity platform, a new initiative to raise awareness about the business arguments for protecting biodiversity.

"The world needs a reality check on the importance of biodiversity loss,” said European Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potočnik. “I hope Green Week 2010 will provide that. This conference is an ideal forum for key players in the environment field to come together and pass a message about the need for a radical change in our approach to the crisis facing biodiversity.”

With more than 3,000 participants from EU institutions, business and industry, non-governmental organisations, public authorities, the scientific community and academia attending, Green Week 2010 is a unique opportunity for key opinion leaders, the general public and the media to meet and exchange experience and good practice.

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Green Week 2010 is examining such issues as the current state of biodiversity and nature, EU policies on biodiversity and nature post-2010, the functioning of Natura 2000, and the mounting pressures on ecosystems. The benefits brought about by biodiversity and nature will be highlighted along with possible solutions to halt the alarming rates of loss.

Discussions  also cover the economic dimension, the impact of the loss on human health and biodiversity in oceans. The week  sees the launch of a number of new biodiversity initiatives, including BISE, a new website centralising information about biodiversity in Europe, the EU's new biodiversity baseline, and a new platform for business and biodiversity (see below).

Over 50 stands  make up the colourful exhibition area. Additional events include a screening of the film Dirt! The Movie, an audiovisual show featuring Wild Wonders of Europe: Unseen, Unexpected, Unforgettable, and the annual European Business Awards for the Environment ceremony. An outdoor exhibition along the Berlaymont Esplanade  shows what nature is doing for us for free, and why we cannot take it for granted.

To view the entire Green Week 2010 programme and dedicated press corner, see: http://www.greenweek2010.eu/ - All sessions are being streamed live on the Green Week website.

A new platform for business and biodiversity

This week also sees the launch of a new technical facility to improve understanding of the importance of biodiversity in the business sphere in a transparent manner. The facility should help businesses integrate biodiversity into their core activities, and raise awareness about the strong competitive advantage to be gained by conserving biodiversity.

Six major business sectors have been prioritized: agriculture, the food supply industry, forestry, extractive industries, financial sector and tourism.

The B@B Platform will facilitate information and knowledge exchange among different actors, and will also host a resource centre with links to information available on the topic and outlines of best practices. See http://ec.europa.eu/environment/biodiversity/business/