Eco-innovation: 35 million to businessesThe European Commission launched a 35 million call for eco-innovation projects, small and medium businesses in particular. The initiative lies under the CIP eco-innovation programme. The call covers four main areas: Material recycling, sustainable building products, food and drink sector, green businesses. "Applications are particularly welcome from small businesses with green products or services that need backing to penetrate markets". Some 50 projects could end up being chosen for co-funding (up to 50% of the total project cost). Janez Potoènik, European Commissioner for the Environment said: “This call for innovative projects is a tremendous opportunity for Europe’s entrepreneurial talent". The CIP programme "shows that helping the environment makes good business sense, with numerous products and services now demonstrating how competitive growth and environmental protection can go hand in hand". Some 44 projects are currently running under the scheme. Some examples include: converting used tyres into valuable insulation materials; using bamboo plantations to purify ‘grey’ water (water from sinks, laundry etc.); and replacing conventional paper labels with innovative laser technologies. For further information log on: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eco-innovation/application_en.htm. Green Light e Green Building energy efficiency Reducing energy consumption, protecting the environment, spreading public awareness on renewable sources and energy saving are among the direct and indirect objectives of the awards Green Light e Green Building launched by the European Commission. The two award ceremonies took place in Frankfurt on April 13 and 14 during the “Improving Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings” Conference. A total of 24 participants received awards for their projects on energy savings and new technologies. One of the 12 award winners in the 2010 edition of the Green Light programme is Dagda town council in Latvia, which "reduced its energy consumption in lighting by 85%", the promoters explained. In the Green Building category, "two of the best refurbishment projects, an office building in Austria and a secondary school in Germany, have achieved over 80% of energy savings". These initiatives "count over 700 participants all over Europe, who save approximately 545 GWh each year. This is equivalent to the energy used by two mid-size European cities over the same period". "The winners of these awards are all living proof that organizations which invest and innovate in energy efficiency can bring immense benefits to themselves while making a leading-edge contribution to a more sustainable Europe" stated Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science and Günther Oettinger, European Commissioner for Energy. Baltic Sea and the Danube: the role of macro regions"To channel existing resources more effectively in order to improve, for instance, transport and energy networks or to tackle pollution, social development, immigration issues or security policy": these are the ‘macro-regions’ strategies that are being developed by the European Union. Its "priority projects" were addressed a few days ago in a conference promoted in Brussels by the EU advisory body Committee of the Regions. In October 2009 EU27 led by the Swedish president-in-office drew up the "Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region". The European Commission is expected to propose a similar blueprint for the Danube area by the end of 2010. Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, CoR vice-President welcomed "the added value of a territorial approach" whilst stressing the "need to involve regional authorities from the very beginning". Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, commented: "Where groups of countries and regions choose to come together to achieve common goals, this will also strengthen EU cohesion". At its plenary session on 14-15 April, the Committee of the Regions will also adopt a report on the Baltic Sea Strategy.
