BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A leaked European Commission draft report says Europe should solve the problem of handling nuclear waste by making industry pay to stash it deep underground, where it will be overseen by independent watchdogs.

“The current situation of spent fuel and radioactive waste management in EU member states is not satisfactory,” says the draft, seen by Reuters Thursday.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Europe’s fisheries chief has been stalled in her efforts to protect the Atlantic blue fin tuna, a giant fish prized by sushi lovers, with Mediterranean fishing nations opposing her plan.

European Union fisheries ministers were meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday to discuss a joint EU stance on how many of the endangered fish should be targeted in next year’s summer fishing season.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program are likely to lead to the closure of a Scottish gas field jointly owned by the Islamic Republic and energy group BP, EU authorities said on Tuesday.

The sanctions are expected to become law on Wednesday, putting extra pressure on Tehran to return to negotiations over its uranium enrichment program.

BRUSSELS, Oct 26 (Reuters) – European sanctions over Iran’s
nuclear programme are likely to lead to the closure of a
Scottish gas field jointly owned by the Islamic Republic and
energy group BP (BP.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), EU authorities said on Tuesday.

The sanctions are expected to become law on Wednesday,
putting extra pressure on Tehran to return to negotiations over
its uranium enrichment programme.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The EU’s response to disasters like Pakistan’s floods and Hungary’s sludge spill is too haphazard and requires a new response center, the bloc’s crisis chief will propose this week.

Although the European Union is one of the world’s biggest donors of humanitarian aid, it has been criticized for its response to some emergencies, such as the Haiti earthquake in January, which killed as many as 300,000 people and left 1.3 million homeless.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Imagine a child sitting in his classroom, gazing through the window at the rain. He picks up his pencil and chews distractedly on the eraser at its top. Chemicals, classed in Europe as “toxic to reproduction”, dissolve in his saliva and enter his body.

It’s a scenario that may not be unusual. A report published last week by a consortium of 140 environment groups shows that potentially risky chemicals are present in dozens of everyday plastic items for sale by European retailers — from shoes to erasers, from pencil cases to sex toys.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Imagine a child sitting in his classroom, gazing through the window at the rain. He picks up his pencil and chews distractedly on the eraser at its top. Chemicals, classed in Europe as “toxic to reproduction,” dissolve in his saliva and enter his body.

It’s a scenario that may not be unusual. A report published last week by a consortium of 140 environment groups shows that potentially risky chemicals are present in dozens of everyday plastic items for sale by European retailers — from shoes to erasers, from pencil cases to sex toys.

BRUSSELS, Oct 15 (Reuters) – Europe’s Alpine nations can
press ahead with charging lorries for the damage they do to
infrastructure, air quality and human health, European Union
ministers agreed on Friday.

Ministers agreed EU rules for charging hauliers for fumes
and noise under controversial “Eurovignette” laws, but they did
not try to make tariffs mandatory on all the EU’s 30,000 km
(18,600 miles) of motorways.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The relevance of United Nations climate talks could be thrown into doubt if no progress is made at the next big meeting in Cancun, Mexico, Europe’s climate chief said on Wednesday.

“If Cancun is a big disappointment, achieving nothing or not much, then I think a lot of governments around the world will start to say: What comes out of this process?” climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard told the Reuters Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit.

BRUSSELS, Oct 13 (Reuters) – The relevance of United Nations
climate talks could be thrown into doubt if no progress is made
at the next big meeting in Cancun, Mexico, Europe’s climate
chief said on Wednesday.

“If Cancun is a big disappointment, achieving nothing or not
much, then I think a lot of governments around the world will
start to say: What comes out of this process?” climate
commissioner Connie Hedegaard told the Reuters Global Climate
and Alternative Energy Summit.