Eurobarometer (1): are car users environment-friendly?The majority of those surveyed by Eurobarometer said they would be “willing to pay more for their car if it helped to reduce emissions”. It is one of the most unexpected findings of a survey conducted by the EU Statistical Office in across Member States. According to the final report, “about two-thirds of EU car users said it was likely they would compromise on a car’s speed in order to reduce emissions”. In addition, the majority of motorists (53%) “agree with existing car charges being replaced by new charging schemes based on the actual use of their vehicle”. While most users choose to drive a car “because of its convenience,” nearly three quarters of EU citizens (71%) “said they would consider using public transport more frequently if it would be possible to buy a single ticket covering all transport modes”. Siim Kallas, Commission vice-president, said: “people understand the stakes and are willing to do their bit to reduce their impact on the environment. Intelligent initiatives such as taxation systems based on the effective use of the vehicle and a single ticket covering all possible transport” should be taken into due account across Member States.Eurobarometer (2): waste, not a problem but a resourceAccording to Eurostat, citizens generate 513 kg of municipal waste each a year. However, “almost 60% of EU citizens do not think their household produces too much waste”. These are the findings of a Eurobarometer survey that gauges perceptions, attitudes and practices of EU citizens concerning resource efficiency, waste management and recycling. According to the EU Statistical Office there is a “stark contrast” between statistics and the interviewees’ opinions. The survey also reveals “a lack of awareness of the amount of food waste generated”. Most citizens agreed that better waste collection services were needed and 8 in 10 said “environmental aspects of a product, such as whether it was reusable or recyclable, were important factors in purchasing decisions”. The Eurobarometer survey highlighted other figures: in 21 of the 27 EU countries, most citizens said their “households did not produce too much waste”. The number of citizens holding this opinion was highest in Latvia (73%), Bulgaria (74%) and Romania (75%). Overall, only 41% of Europeans surveyed thought the opposite. Europeans surveyed also made low estimates about the amount of food they throw away, while according to a UK study by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), 25% of food bought by households is thrown away. Environment Commissioner Janez Potoènik said: “This survey shows that most of us do not realise how much we are really throwing away. Where waste cannot be prevented we must use it as a valuable resource. Much of our waste can be re-used or recycled – from food and garden waste to old mobile phones”. And being resource-efficient can enable households to save money.Commission: regulating on-line gamblingControlling on-line gambling, protecting consumers (notably minors) detecting and prevent fraud and money laundering. These are some of the objectives of a Green Paper public consultation launched by the Commission. “On-line gambling is a fast developing business in Europe with almost 15,000 websites already identified and total annual revenues exceeding 6 billion in 2008 and expected to double in size by 2013”, the Commission states in a release. National legal frameworks vary enormously across the EU, “with different rules applying to licensing, related on-line services, payments, public interest objectives, and the fight against fraud”. In order to ensure legal certainty and effective protection of EU citizens in this fast-growing cross-border service activity, “it is important to evaluate how possibly differing models can co-exist within the Internal Market”. The primary aim of the Green Paper consultation, launched today, is therefore to obtain a facts-based picture of the existing situation. The Commission seeks the views of stakeholders and wishes to collect detailed information and data which can be submitted to the Commission’s website until 31 July 2011 “which will be assessed in determining follow-up action”.
