Soaring public debt, languishing economy, growing inequality, no jobs for a growing number of people, especially young: this is what most of the Mediterranean countries are facing today. In Southern Europe as well as in Northern Africa and east Mediterranean. Old recipes dominate government responses: promote investment in natural resources exploitation, even if this implies reducing environmental safeguards, even if the trade-off is losing ecosy...

Ireland has agreed with the Troika (IMF/EU/ECB) to sell off state-owned assets, in an effort to raise around 3 billion €. The bailout agreement includes the sale of Coillte, the state-owned company managing Ireland’s forest assets (over 1 million acres). The agreement also includes the sale of Bord Gáis Energy (supplier of natural gas and electricity), power plants owned by the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and the 25 % share of Aer Lingus...

The sale to the royal family of Qatar of six privately owned islets in the Messolonghi Lagoons National Park (partly of which is a Ramsar site),  has sparked fears that the site’s protective legislation will be undermined, in order to facilitate luxury housing or tourism development plans. Under the current special protection regime, the islet of Oxia, the first to be sold, can host a farmhouse of 80 sq.m., a warehouse of 50 sq.m., visitor in...

Following a February 17th arson attack against the newly settled mining worksite of Hellas Gold (95% Eldorado Gold, 5% Aktor) in the forest of Skouries (Halkidiki, N. Greece), residents of Ierissos blocked the road in order to prevent the Police from searching the houses of suspects. Riot police reportedly made extensive use of tear gas, even spraying the local school yard and affecting a number of schoolchildren. ...

Italian electricity demand in free fall, Europe’s second largest utility, Enel, is taking measures in order to reduce its soaring debt. Plans include selling off assets worth €6 billion, mothballing surplus capacity and job cuts....

According to Romania’s National Environment Protection Agency, air pollution levels in big cities were reduced for the first time in the past nine years, primarily due to the decline in traffic by between 5-30%. Another factor that has contributed to reduced air pollution is the socially depressing closure of industrial plants in large cities, such as Timisoara, Piatra Neamt, Iasi, Targu Mures, Copsa Mica and Vaslui....

According to ENDS Europe, the Commission’s General Directorate for the Environment is scheduled to undergo major personnel cuts. At a meeting of the European Parliament ENVI Committee, MEPs, like Denmark’s Margete Auken, expressed fears that this reorganisation process may result in undermining the DG’s capacity to uphold its important work on infringements of environmental law. ...

Following a fortnight of tough negotiations over the revision of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the overwhelming majority of the EU’s 27 Agricultural Ministers rejected all major environmental measures in future CAP.  Earlier in March, the European Parliament had rejected a catastrophic proposal by its Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI), which had attacked all environmental measures included in the European Commiss...

European Commission: March 2013: Business Climate Indicator decreases (27 March) Eurogroup: Eurogroup Statement on Cyprus (25 March)...

EU: financial tax should be used for development aid and climate | EU Observer (27 February 2013) Green fatigue sets in: the world cools on global warming | The Independent  (28 February 2013) Spain falls further into recession as GDP plunges by 0.8% | EU Observer (28 February 2013)...