International Programs
EPA Collaboration with Europe
EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas presents a biodiversity report to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, joined by Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren and Czech Environment Minister Martin Bursik.
The United States and Europe enjoy long-standing economic and political relationships, address environmental impacts of joint concern, and face similar opportunities and challenges. By working together to achieve common goals, the U.S. and Europe can enhance our respective environmental protection efforts while creating a cleaner environment on both continents and around the world. In close cooperation with European partners, EPA aims to build capacity to solve environmental problems in a practical manner, and strengthen transatlantic institutions, networks, and relationships.
Key activities with Europe currently focus on:
- Climate Change/Energy
- Chemicals Management
- Research, Information, and Technology
- Environmental Governance
- Cooperation with EU Member States
Each of these priorities are detailed below.
Climate Change/Energy
Climate change and energy continue to be a primary focus of U.S. cooperation with Europe, at the political level (within the context of the U.S.-EU Summit process) and the technical level.
A new U.S.-EU Energy Council 
was launched during the November 2009 Summit between President Obama and European Commission President Barroso. The Council will foster cooperation on energy policy between the U.S., the EU, and with third countries to:
- improve energy security,
- enhance energy efficiency, and
- promote research, development, demonstration and deployment of sustainable and clean energy technologies.
EPA also cooperates closely with the European Commission and key EU Member States at the technical level on energy efficiency, methane capture and use, biofuels, and other fuel and vehicle issues.
ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, which helps citizens save money and protect the environment through the use of energy efficient products and practices.
To promote and use the ENERGY STAR label for office equipment throughout Europe, EPA and the European Union have an official bilateral Agreement. This Agreement promotes concrete action on energy efficiency issues, clarifies technical standards for equipment carrying the ENERGY STAR logo, and encourages and facilitates harmonization of test procedures.
The Agreement was signed in 2001, renewed in December 2006, and revised in July 2009 to include more stringent technical standards. One outcome of the agreement is that the EU has mandated that the European Commission and the governments of all 27 Member States must procure ENERGY STAR office equipment for official use.
ENERGY STAR also is implemented in non-EU countries including Switzerland, and in Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein through the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) .
Methane to Markets (M2M)
is a public-private partnership launched in 2004. The goal of M2M is to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by promoting the cost-effective, near-term recovery and use of methane, while expanding opportunities to provide clean energy to markets around the world.
The United States is a founding Partner of M2M, and EPA serves as the primary U.S. focal point for the effort. The European Commission became an M2M Partner in 2007, and is providing additional expertise and resources to advance methane capture and use in Europe and in the developing world. Other European M2M Partners include Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom.
EPA collaborates with Europe on a range of energy programs promoting alternative fuels, such as wind power and biofuels.
Biofuels
With increasing global attention to the potential benefits and challenges from biofuel production and use comes expanded opportunities for international collaboration. To enhance the effectiveness of U.S. and European regulatory efforts concerning biofuels, EPA technical experts share information, data, and methodologies with our European counterparts.
In addition, EPA participates as part of U.S. support for the Global Bioenergy Partnership , an international effort which coordinates and implements targeted international research, development, demonstration and commercial activities related to the production, delivery, conversion and use of biomass for energy. GBEP activities focus on the needs of developing countries, and are supported by active participation of countries such as the United States, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Japan, and Brazil, among other partners.
Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV)
The Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV) promotes cleaner fuels and vehicles in developing and transition countries, focusing on promoting phase-out of leaded gasoline, use of low-sulfur diesel fuel, and promoting cleaner vehicle technologies. A global partnership run by the United Nations Environment Program, PCFV includes a wide range of partner governments, international organizations, industries, and non-governmental organizations. The PCFV provides a valuable opportunity for the U.S. to engage with European partners and leverage resources on issues of common concern.EPA was one of the founding partners of PCFV, and EPA continues to provide support and technical guidance, along with European partners such as the European Commission and the Netherlands. Within Europe, the focus is in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe, where some countries still face challenges on these issues.
The Regional Environmental Center (REC) for Central and Eastern Europe serves as the regional focal point for PCFV in the European region. Explore PCFV work in Central and Eastern Europe.
The United States and Europe collaborate to reduce the risks of harmful toxics.
Chemicals Management
An ongoing regulatory cooperation dialogue aims to help reduce risks from toxics in the U.S. and Europe. EPA and its counterparts in the European Commission and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) share experience and expertise in the sound management of chemicals. The dialogue also promotes regulatory best practices and information-sharing on areas of mutual interest, including scientific, technical and related challenges.
Recent developments in Europe and the U.S. have made transatlantic cooperation on chemicals management more relevant than ever. The U.S. has announced principles for reform of the U.S. Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) and enhancements to chemicals management in the U.S., while the EU’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of Chemicals (REACH) program is now transitioning into its registration phase.
Productive discussions between U.S. and European experts also take place in key international fora such as the OECD , and at international chemicals events such as the second International Conference on International Chemicals Management (ICCM2) and the Fourth Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persisent Organic Pollutants , both held in May 2009.
Learn more about EPA’s chemicals management activities and international chemicals cooperation.
Research, Information, and Technology
EPA and the E.C. coordinate research and technical cooperation under an Implementing Arrangement (PDF) (5 pp, 203K, About PDF Files) signed in February 2007, within the framework of the U.S.-EU Science and Technology Agreement managed by the U.S. Department of State.
Cooperation includes complementary research on computational toxicology, which ranks chemicals more efficiently based on risks to humans and the environment, and provides an alternative to animal testing.
EPA and European counterparts are also creating and promoting joint efforts to advance emerging nanotechnology research. Two recent research funding opportunities included Increasing Scientific Data on the Fate, Transport and Behavior of Engineered Nanomaterials in Selected Environmental and Biological Matrices (2010), and a Joint US – UK Research Program on Environmental Behavior, Bioavailability and Effects of Manufactured Nanomaterials (2009).
The EPA-EC Implementing Arrangement also includes long-standing collaboration between EPA,the European Environment Agency, and the European Commission on a category of research known as Ecoinformatics , which includes environmental information, data exchange, environmental indicators, and information access.
With the European Commission and Canada, EPA also is a founding member of the International Working Group on Environmental Technology Verification (IWG-ETV). Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) programs verify the performance of innovative technologies that have the potential to improve protection of human health and the environment. ETV accelerates the entrance of new environmental technologies into domestic and international marketplaces. The IWG-ETV aims to develop a common approach to verification of the effectiveness of environmental technologies, so that, in time, participating countries are able to mutually recognize each others’ programs and products.
Environmental Governance
The United States continues to build and enhance multilateral partnerships to improve environmental governance in Europe and worldwide. Through exchange of information and experts, technical meetings, and implementation of selected projects and partnerships, EPA works with European partners to:
- strengthen institutional capacity for environmental protection and management;
- promote and support engagement of civil society and public participation; and
- improve decision-making through increased access to information for policy-makers and civil society.
The Regional Environmental Center (REC) for Central and Eastern Europe
The REC's new environmentally friendly conference centre, which has a target of zero annual CO2 emissions.
The Regional Environmental Center (REC) for Central and Eastern Europe is a great success story of building capacity for sound environmental governance in Europe. Created as the result of a U.S. Presidential Initiative in 1990 (with EPA as the designated lead agency), the REC now has country offices in each of the capitals of the Central and Eastern European region, and is a key forum in which countries can come together to address important international environmental issues.
One particularly successful EPA-supported REC initiative is the development and dissemination of Local Environmental Action Programs (LEAPs) to assist communities in identifying and addressing environmental challenges through active public participation. EPA supported these programs and trained practitioners throughout Central and Eastern Europe in the 1990s, and the program is still going strong more than a decade later through the support of other European donors. Learn more about Implementing LEAP Programs in Central and Eastern Europe (PDF) (170 pp, 3.03 M, About PDF Files)
Today, EPA continues to work with the REC, and other long-time bilateral partners, to address environmental challenges faced by new EU Member States as well as those countries aspiring to EU membership. The REC celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2010 and launched a new strategy to chart a productive course for the future.
International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE)
EPA also works to build enforcement and compliance capacity in Europe by working in cooperation with various regional and international networks of environmental professionals on enforcement and compliance issues. One such network, the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE) was founded by EPA and the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Environment and Spatial Planning (VROM) in 1989. The U.S. and the Netherlands continue to serve as co-chairs of the network.
INECE is a partnership of government and non-government enforcement and compliance practitioners from more than 150 countries. The network is dedicated to using regulatory and non-regulatory approaches to guide compliance with, and enforcement of environmental laws and regulations that promote:
- the sustainable use of natural resources, and
- the protection of ecosystem integrity at the global, regional, and national levels.
Within INECE, EPA also works with European regional networks such as the EU Network for Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL) and the Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network for Accession (ECENA) which focuses on the Balkan region of southeastern Europe. These networks provide opportunities for EPA enforcement experts to share expertise and experiences with European counterparts through periodic meetings and training sessions.
INTERPOL
EPA also collaborates with European partners through participation in INTERPOL’s Pollution Crime Working Group . This working group facilitates global criminal enforcement efforts and enhances national capabilities to address environmental crime. The U.S. (EPA and Coast Guard) share leadership of this Working Group with Belgium and the Netherlands. In particular, EPA is working closely with the Environment Agency for England and Wales within the INTERPOL Working Group, sharing intelligence to stop illegal shipments of e-waste to developing countries. INTERPOL has recently published a report on the links between organized crime and electronic waste disposal, entitled Electronic Waste and Organized Crime: Assessing the Links (PDF).
Cooperation with EU Member States
While cooperation with the EU through the European Commission constitutes a large part of EPA’s cooperation with Europe, EPA also works directly with individual European countries to share information, leverage resources, and provide complementary expertise as national-level environmental managers and regulators.
Enhanced Environmental Management at the National Level
For example, EPA works closely with the Environment Agency for England and Wales on a wide range of technical topics, including enforcement and compliance, permitting, air quality monitoring, and e-waste. EPA and UK experts share ideas and strategies and learn from one another through this exchange.
EPA has explored opportunities for enhancing permitting approaches in the U.S. through a dialogue with UK partners focused on their long experience with integrated (multi-media) permitting.
EPA’s long experience with issuing civil and administrative enforcement penalties provided input to new UK legislation , which is designed to enhance domestic regulatory capabilities through the adoption of non-criminal approaches.
Coordinated Development Assistance
Many nations, include the U.S. and our European partners, provide financial and technical assistance to developing countries who are improving their environments. Working in partnership with other nations, EPA strives to maximize the impact of environmental assistance programs, and to ensure that financial resources provided for environmental work in the developing world are utilized in complementary ways.
For example, EPA is collaborating with counterparts in the UK, Netherlands, and Switzerland to mobilize resources in tandem in common work in Africa on electronic waste. Efforts are also underway to coordinate with the UK and Italy on environmental efforts in China.
Bilateral Joint Statements
EPA has signed non-binding “joint statements” with European partners to provide a general framework for technical cooperation, although such statements are limited in number and are not required for such cooperation to take place.
Italy: Joint Statement on Environmental Cooperation
Spain: Joint Statement on Environmental Cooperation
Back to: Europe
Contacts
For additional information about EPA's work with Europe and the European Union, contact:
Anna Phillips
Office of International and Tribal Affairs (2650R)
U.S. EPA
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
Email: (phillips.anna@epa.gov)