Natura 2000 Newsletter. The marine environment

Natura 2000 Newsletter. The marine environment

Natura 2000 Newsletter. The marine environment. DG Environment, European Commission, 2015

Abstract: We share this planet with an extraordinary diversity of nature which is a source of inspiration, knowledge, recreation and tourism and an important part of our cultural heritage. Nature is also vital for our health and our wealth and can play a key role in creating jobs and stimulating new investments. We depend on it for the food, energy, raw materials, air and water that make life possible and drive the economy. As European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Policy and Fisheries I am committed to ensuring that the protection of nature and maintaining Europe’s competitiveness go hand-in-hand. 2015 will be a very important year for nature and biodiversity policy in the EU. On 4 March I will, together with the European Environment Agency Director, present the State of the Environment Report 2015. This report, which is published every five years, gives a very clear outline of the environmental realities faced across the European Union. In 2010, the previous report helped set the European environmental agenda for the next five years, and it is our expectation that the new report will help us do the same