EU Green Capital Valencia will host 2024 edition of European Urban Resilience Forum
Crucial aspects of resilience, sustainable development and recovery will be under the thematic spotlight
Legislators and magnates have to await a preliminary ruling from the European Court of Justice
There’s a legal battle brewing in Estonia currently and it involves nesting birds and forestry companies. The reason behind it is the forestry lobby’s attempt to challenge the country’s bird non-disturbance policy, which stipulates that between 15 April and 30 June, no logging operations can be undertaken in public forests.
The logging ban period also applies to private forests, however, there it is applied on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Environment Authority inspectors. If they find nests on specific trees, then these trees cannot be cut down during that period. It is precisely the action of this institution in the private forests that the lobby has challenged in court.
The situation is even more layered because Estonia’s Climate Ministry was actually considering amending the country’s Nature Protection Act in order to extend the non-disturbance period for nesting birds until 15 July in order to bring it more in line with the EU’s Birds Directive.
On the other hand, the forestry magnates argue that Estonia is actually the only European country to apply such a non-disturbance policy. According to Postimees, that’s not entirely true as similar, even if more limited restrictions are applied by other countries around the Baltic Sea.
The Estonian Supreme Court is currently waiting for a preliminary ruling from the European Court of Justice in the matter of whether and/or under what conditions, destruction of nests and killing of chicks is allowed during nesting season.
The EU’s Birds Directive prohibits deliberate killing and disturbance of nesting birds, wherever they are found. This means that even if the non-disturbance period were to be extended with another two weeks that would still put some birds in danger because certain species have longer nesting periods.
Crucial aspects of resilience, sustainable development and recovery will be under the thematic spotlight
The island is dead set on doing something about the problem of overtourism
The event, officially called Krakow Equality March, will be held next week
This is city twinning for the 21st century
You can find it in the capital Sofia, where it was installed upon the initiative of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
People in both cities got to sit together both in person and virtually
It also features fast-charging stations for e-buses
Crucial aspects of resilience, sustainable development and recovery will be under the thematic spotlight
Exploring the unique “wildlife footprints” of European urban areas
This is the day when all madrileños take local pride in their city and culture
And the results were immediate, two Sunday services had to be performed to accommodate the crowd
The island is dead set on doing something about the problem of overtourism
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
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An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team