EU vows to take actions to maintain biodiversity
Xinhua, June 4, 2015 Adjust font size:
The European Union (EU) pledged to take action to protect biodiversity in Europe, according to a press release to mark the opening of Green Week 2015 sent out by the the European Commission (EC) on Wednesday.
The three-day conference dedicated to environmental policy is seeking ways to fight declining biodiversity.
"We need to maintain Europe's biodiversity. It underpins both our quality of life and our economy, our health, and our wealth. It is under threat and we need to make sure it's properly protected," said Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission.
The latest red lists on a report on the state of nature in Europe recently published by the EC painted a mixed picture of European wildlife and underlined the urgent need for action.
The report also demonstrated that efforts to improve vulnerable ecosystems could be highly effective.
Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner responsible for the environment, maritime affairs and fisheries portfolios, noted that these reports contained some worrying statistics, but they also showed the value of well-targeted actions to protect biodiversity.
"Our task is to find ways of building on those successes, and spreading them to other areas. Green Week is an excellent opportunity to gather input for the next steps," said Vella. Endit