Baltic and European news
Dimas: no trade-off between nature and economy
2525, 17/04/08
The idea that protecting biodiversity must harm economic progress is "outdated and mistaken", EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas told a seminar on development and Europe's Natura 2000 nature protection network in the European parliament on Wednesday.
Mr Dimas described Natura as "one of the most advanced, extensive and flexible systems of nature protection in the world". Where it has conflicted with development projects, this has often been because nature issues have not been taken into account sufficiently early in the planning process, he argued (EED 01/08/07 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/23691).
The commissioner accepted that the economic case for nature protection "may not be so obvious" (EED 05/02/07 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/22555). This is why the commission is carrying out a study on the economics of ecosystems and biodiversity loss, inspired by the Stern report on the economics of climate change, he said (EED 15/11/07 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/24294).
Follow-up: Seminar organised by ALDE http://www.alde.eu/, tel: +32 2 284 21 11, plus press release
http://www.alde.eu/index.php?id=42&tx_ttnews%5btt_news%5d=9443&cHash=52848d17af
and programme
See also Dimas speech http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/08/200
and commission conclusions http://www.endseuropedaily.com/docs/80417a.doc.
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