BUCHAREST, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission (EC) needs to stimulate the regenerative, circular economy and to promote sustainable agricultural policies, European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella told a press conference here on Tuesday.
"The EC will soon adopt new guidelines on integrating ecosystem and green infrastructure services into decision-making," the commissioner said at the end of the two-day informal meeting of Environment Ministers of the European Union (EU).
"Europe's attitude towards biodiversity demonstrates that a large majority of the population is concerned about the loss of biodiversity and recognizes the links between it and climate change," Vella said.
According to him, the meeting has discussed two pressing themes in the field of the environment, namely biodiversity and water quality, and revealed a number of positive aspects, showing that the EU, working together, can make effective progress.
As far as water quality is concerned, the EC official stressed the problem of the presence of plastics in drinking water and referred to the plastic strategy, with the emblematic initiative banning the use of disposable plastics and the reduction of plastic waste from all sources.
In his turn, Romania's Water and Forests Minister Ioan Denes said that joint efforts are needed at European level to combat the pollution of seas and oceans with river-borne plastics and microplastics or non-plastics, and better cooperation between manufacturers, recyclers, traders, consumers and decision-makers is very important.
The minister stressed that an important element of the fight against water pollution is the public awareness, adding that the competent authorities and those in charge of water management must coordinate in order to identify new solutions and measures.
On Monday, the first working session of the informal meeting included debates on climate change, when participants discussed the measures to be taken at European and national level to boost the transformation of the life style and to create the necessary framework for the transition to a climate-neutral society.
