All the Balkan countries are now committed to the European integration progress, with the goal of joining the European Union. They must consequently accept the acquis communautaire and transpose it into their national legislation. One major challenge – and not just for new member states – is the Water Framework Directive, which introduces new rules for water management hinging on transboundary river basins.

The Basel Convention has before it an amendment which would ban the export of hazardous waste for disposal to developing countries. Some countries (for example those in the European Union) have already implemented this proposed amendment. In addition countries like China have banned the importation of e-waste, although significant volumes are still entering the country illegally.

Poland is located in Central Europe, east of Germany, comprising of 312,685 sq km. It has a population of 38,635,144 (2005). Major environmental concerns are: air pollution is serious because of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, and the resulting acid rain has caused forest damage; water pollution from industrial and municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal of hazardous wastes; pollution levels should continue to d...

WWF Ranking of the 30 dirtiest power plants in Europe and (in)efficiency of power plants located in the European Union and serving the public power supply.

A growing share of municipal waste contains electronic or electric products. E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams and makes up approximately 4 per cent of municipal waste in the European Union. In the US, between 14 and 20 million PC’s become obsolete every year. The picture is similar all over the world and e-waste is increasing steadily.

Combating waste trafficking demands international cooperation and a high-level of scientific expertise (to analyse the composition of waste, for instance). This is primarily the task of customs and port authorities, but initiatives for broader cooperation are developing, such as the European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL), which controls shipments in major European ports.

Mobile phones were launched in 1984 and the market has been booming ever since. In 20 years they have spread like wildfire. By September 2004 there were 344 million subscribers (out of a population of 380 million) in the 15 (old) members of the European Union. According to Nokia there will be 2 000 million cellphone users worldwide by 2008.

The Caspian area is the world’s main producer of wild caviar (83% in 2003) and supplies the three largest markets, the European Union, Japan and the USA. The construction of several hydroelectric power plants and dams along the Volga river significantly altered the flow of water into the delta and destroyed about 90% of the sturgeon’s spawning grounds, which can be as far as several hundreds of kilometres upstream. This graphic displays the repor...

The Kyoto Protocol In 1997 world leaders adopted the Kyoto Protocol requiring rich countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to 5.2% below the 1990 level, calculated as an average over the period 2008-2012. Under the Kyoto Protocol the rich countries have different targets, that in sum adds up to a reduction of 5.2%. For example, the European Union aims for an 8% cut in total, Germany committed to a 21% cut and the United Kingdom to 12.5...

Fisheries activities by European Union countries in the seas of West Africa contribute EUR 120 million annually in government revenues. A part of the contribution is set for “targeted actions” to promote local resource management and sustainable development. For some of the poorest countries under these agreements – like Guinea-Bissau, the EU payments represent a significant part of the government revenues.

In 2005 the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean accounted for only 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, excluding emissions associated with land use changes. Between 1990 and 2005, such emissions in the region increased at an average annual rate of 2.3%, owing to a variety of economic, social and demographic factors. In percentage terms, 2005 emissions increased the region’s share of emissions by one percentage compared to 1990. Nevert...

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Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine are positioned between an enlarging European Union and a historically influential Russia. The area’s unique position and history have played a large part in the overlapping of environmental and security issues. There have been several areas of dispute and inter-ethnic conflict.

WWF Ranking of the 30 dirtiest power plants in Europe Please note: *These are not the most emitting power plants but the least efficient ones. *This ranking only compares plants located in the European Union (25 countries at the time of the study). *The study only covers power plants serving the public power supply.