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The European Environment Agency (EEA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) which provides independent information on the environment.


Definition

The European Environment Agency (EEA) is the agency of the European Union (EU) which provides independent information on the environment. Its goal is to help those involved in developing, implementing and evaluating
environmental policy Environmental policy is the commitment of an organization or government to the laws, regulations, and other policy mechanisms concerning environmental issues. These issues generally include air and water pollution, waste management, ecosystem ma ...
, and to inform the general public.


Organization

The EEA was established by the European Economic Community (EEC) Regulation 1210/1990 (amended by EEC Regulation 933/1999 and EC Regulation 401/2009) and became operational in 1994, headquartered in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...
,
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
. The agency is governed by a management board composed of representatives of the governments of its 32 member states, a
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
representative and two scientists appointed by the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the Legislature, legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven Institutions of the European Union, institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and in ...
, assisted by its Scientific Committee. The current Executive Director of the agency is Professor Hans Bruyninckx, who has been appointed for a five-year term. He is the successor of Professor Jacqueline McGlade.


Member countries

The member states of the European Union are members; however other states may become members of it by means of agreements concluded between them and the EU. It was the first EU body to open its membership to the 13 candidate countries (pre- 2004 enlargement). The EEA has 32 member countries and six cooperating countries. The members are the 27 European Union member states together with
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...
,
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German language, German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constit ...
,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
. Since
Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 Greenwich Mean Time, GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 Central Eur ...
in 2020, the UK is not a member of the EU anymore and therefore not a member state of the EEA. The six Western Balkan countries are cooperating countries:
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and share ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
,
Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...
,
North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
,
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
as well as
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...
under the
UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
Resolution 1244/99. These cooperation activities are integrated into Eionet and are supported by the EU under the "Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance". The EEA is an active member of the EPA Network.


Reports, data and knowledge

The European Environment Agency(EEA) produces assessments based on quality-assured data on a wide range of issues from biodiversity, air quality, transport to climate change. These assessments are closely linked to the European Union's environment policies and legislation and help monitor progress in some areas and indicate areas where additional efforts are needed. As required in its founding regulation, the EEA publishes its flagship report th
State and Outlook of Europe's environment
(SOER), which is an integrated assessment, analysing trends, progress to targets as well as outlook for the mid- to long-term. The EEA shares this information, including the datasets used in its assessments, through it
main website
and a number of thematic information platforms such a
Biodiversity Information System for Europe
(BISE) an
ClimateADAPT
The Climate-ADAPT knowledge platform presents information and data on expected climatic changes, the vulnerability of regions and sectors, adaptation case studies, and adaptation options, adaptation planning tools, and EU policy.


European Nature Information System

The European Nature Information System (EUNIS) provides access to the publicly available data in the EUNIS database for
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
,
habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
types and protected sites across Europe. It is part of the European Biodiversity data centre (BDC), and is maintained by the EEA. The database contains data * on species, habitat types and designated sites from the framework of
Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respecti ...
, * from material compiled by the European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity * mentioned in relevant international conventions and in the
IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
Red Lists, * collected in the framework of the EEA's reporting activities.


European environment information and observation network

The European environment information and observation network (Eionet) is a partnership network of the EEA and the countries. The EEA is responsible for developing the network and coordinating its activities. To do so, the EEA works closely together with national focal points (NFPs), typically national environment agencies or environment ministries which are responsible for coordinating national networks of the National Reference Centres (NRCs) involving many institutions (about 350 in all). Apart from the NFPs and NRCs, Eionet currently includes covers seve
European Topic Centres
(ETCs): * ETC on Air Pollution, Transport, Noise and Industrial Pollution (ETC/ATNI) * ETC on Biological Diversity (ETC/BD) * ETC on Climate Change Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation (ETC/CCA) * ETC on Climate Change Mitigation and Energy (ETC/CME) * ETC on Inland, Coastal and Marine Waters (ETC/ICM) * ETC on Urban, Land and Soil Systems (ETC/ULS) * ETC on Waste and Materials in Green Economy (ETC/WMGE) The European Environment Agency (EEA) implements the "Shared Environmental Information System" principles and best practices via projects such as the "ENI SEIS II EAST PROJECT" & the "ENI SEIS II SOUTH PROJECT" to support environmental protection within the six eastern partnership countries (ENP) & to contribute to the reduction in marine pollution in the Mediterranean through the shared availability & access to relevant environmental information.


Budget management and discharge

As for every EU body and institution, the EEA's budget is subject to a discharge process, consisting of external examination of its budget execution and financial management, to ensure sound financial management of its budget. Since its establishment, the EEA has been granted discharge for its budget without exception. The EEA provides full access to its administrative and budgetary documents in it
public documents register
The discharge process for the 2010 budget required additional clarifications. In February 2012, the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the Legislature, legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven Institutions of the European Union, institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and in ...
's Committee on Budgetary Control published a draft report, identifying areas of concern in the use of funds and its influence for the 2010 budget such as a 26% budget increase from 2009 to 2010 to €50 600 000.Draft Report on discharge on the implementation of the budget of the European Environment Agency for the financial year 2010
14 pages, 6 February 2012,
and questioned that maximum competition and value-for-money principles were honored in hiring, also possible fictitious employees. The EEA's Executive Director refuted allegations of irregularities in a public hearing. On 27 March 2012 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted on the report and commended the cooperation between the Agency and NGOs working in the environmental area. On 23 October 2012, the European Parliament voted and granted the discharge to the European Environment Agency for its 2010 budget.


Executive directors


International cooperation

In addition to its 32 members and six
Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
cooperating countries, the EEA also cooperates and fosters partnerships with its neighbours and other countries and regions, mostly in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy: * EaP states: Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia * UfM states: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco,
Palestinian Authority The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,
, Syria, Tunisia * other
ENPI Enpi may refer to: * Enpi (elbow strike), a Japanese martial arts term meaning "elbow strike" * Enpi (kata), a kata found in Shotokan and other karate styles * ENPI, European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument, the funding instrument of the E ...
states: Russia *
Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...
states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan Additionally the EEA cooperates with multiple international organizations and the corresponding agencies of the following countries: * United States of America (
Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale ...
) * Canada (
Environment Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; french: Environnement et Changement climatique Canada),Environment and Climate Change Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of the Environment ...
)


Official languages

The 26 official languages used by the EEA are: Bulgarian, Czech, Croatian, Danish,
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
, Greek,
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
, Spanish,
Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also * ...
, Finnish,
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Lithuanian, Latvian,
Malti Maltese ( mt, Malti, links=no, also ''L-Ilsien Malti'' or '), is a Semitic language derived from late medieval Sicilian Arabic with Romance superstrata spoken by the Maltese people. It is the national language of Malta and the only offici ...
, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese,
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania ** Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditiona ...
, Slovak, Slovene, Swedish and Turkish.


See also

* Agencies of the European Union * Citizen Science, cleanup projects that people can take part in. * EU environmental policy *
List of atmospheric dispersion models Atmospheric dispersion models are computer programs that use mathematical algorithms to simulate how pollutants in the ambient atmosphere disperse and, in some cases, how they react in the atmosphere. US Environmental Protection Agency models Man ...
*
List of environmental organizations An environmental organization is an organization coming out of the conservation or environmental movements that seeks to protect, analyse or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation from human forces. In this sense the environmen ...
*
Confederation of European Environmental Engineering Societies The Confederation of European Environmental Engineering Societies (CEEES) was created as a co-operative international organization for information exchange regarding environmental engineering between the various European societies in this field. T ...
*
Coordination of Information on the Environment Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) is a European programme initiated in 1985 by the European Commission, aimed at gathering information relating to the environment on certain priority topics for the European Union (air, water, ...
* European Agency for Safety and Health at WorkEU-OSHA
*
Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and en ...


References


External links


European Environment Agency websiteEuropean Topic Centre on Land Use and Spatial Information (ETC LUSI)European Topic Centre on Air and Climate Change(ETC/ACC)European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity(ETC/BD)

Model Documentation System (MDS)The European Environment Agency's near real-time ozone map (ozoneweb)The European Climate Adaptation Platform Climate-ADAPTEUNIS homepage
{{Authority control 1990 in the European Economic Community Agencies of the European Union Atmospheric dispersion modeling Environmental agencies in the European Union Government agencies established in 1990 Organizations based in Copenhagen 1994 establishments in Denmark