"The main themes at this informal meeting of environment ministers are environmental technology and urban ecology. We are facing a great many environmental challenges in Europe. They range from issues relating to clean air, sustainable energy management together with a reduction in the use of fossil energy, and the whole question of nuclear energy. That adds up to a wide range of topics to be discussed", Environment Minister Josef Pröll, President of the Environment Council, said at the beginning of the informal meeting of environment ministers in Eisenstadt.
“We are beginning with a premiere: true to the motto 'Europe is listening', we are providing a platform this afternoon for mayors, NGOs, representatives of political parties and parliamentarians for an open discussion of their concerns and requirements regarding a common European environment policy. This involvement of the public will send a clear message to the EU environment ministers. We will address these ideas and concerns at our working session tomorrow”, Pröll stressed.
The subject of environmental technology is a very important one according to Pröll, as there is a risk of environmental issues being eclipsed by the prioritising of economic growth and jobs. "We environment ministers want to show that environmental technology is one of the most active challenges in improving our quality of life. Environmental technology is also an important economic driver and is the fastest growing sector in the field of renewable energy technologies and green construction, Pröll commented, adding that this sector employs 3.5 million people throughout Europe and has a turnover of 216 billion euros. Austrian companies are among the European leaders in environmental technology according to the minister, which is why an important item on the agenda for this meeting was to show examples of best practice from Austria.
On the subject of urban ecology, Pröll said interest would increasingly be focused on the quality of life and environmental quality in cities. The implementation of climate protection targets, more sparing use of resources, dust and noise pollution were posing new challenges and placing new demands on cities and municipalities. "We want to demonstrate at this meeting that the urban environment is a very important issue." He said this meeting would prepare the ground for getting this strategy adopted at the next Council meeting in Brussels. "There are major, interesting challenges ahead of us", Pröll said. He pointed out in conclusion that close attention had been paid to providing environment-friendly means of transport for the environment ministers. All diesel service cars are equipped with exhaust filters and the buses meet the stringent Euro 4 standards. In addition, thanks to the company Blaguss, the first Euro 5 bus in Austria was being used for transport.
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