Conservative MEP attacks senseless EU subsidy to environmental NGO
Posted, April 03, 2008 @ 00:00
Lobby group working against the European Commission is being subsidised by the very same institution.
Brussels, 3rd April--Dr Caroline Jackson MEP has attacked the Commission's system of allocating subsidies to projects after a lobby group working directly contrary to the interests of the European Commission was found to be partly funded by the same institution.
Dr Jackson, Conservative spokesperson on health was contacted by the Prague based health care lobby group in relation to the draft waste framework directive she is currently steering through the European Parliament. This directive is designed to set definitions for such key processes such as the recycling and recovery of waste. Dr Jackson has added strict targets for recycling and prevention of waste which all member states will be required to meet.
Amongst the groups Dr Jackson was contacted by was "Health Care without Harm Europe". This organisation misleadingly claims that the result of the waste framework directive will be to replace recycling with incineration, which will "harm human health and harm the environment".
Responding to this claim, Dr Jackson said:
"This is a wilful misinterpretation of the directive. It also deliberately down plays the role of the EU Waste Incineration directive which has cleaned up or closed old incinerators and applied higher standards to new ones. Dioxin emissions from such plants are now negligible: that is why Holland, for example, is investing heavily in a new generation of them"
Dr Jackson noted that the organisation's publicity material states "The production of this document was supported by a grant from the European Commission". She said:
"What I find amazing is that the leaflet of this organisation goes against the Commission proposals. The Commission is financing those organisations which actively work against its plans in the hope of defeating them.
"This is a senseless EU subsidy system and must stop. If the Commission wants to support NGOs which would otherwise sink, then it should restrict any such aid to core funding for essential buildings and facilities. It should not be used for campaigns against specific EU laws"