News
Publish date: October 31, 2013
Written by: Maya Boutroue Vedeld
News
“I am proud to have contributed to building Bellona’s presence in Brussels, ensuring that we play an active part in shaping the EU’s energy and climate policies,” Frisvold said. “Today, Bellona Europa is acknowledged by EU decision makers as a key stakeholder in the European environmental movement.”
Bellona Foundation General Director Nils Bøhmer, is taking over the position as Chairman of Bellona Europa’s board effective 1 November. Bellona Europa Director Jonas Helseth will continue his work and ensure that Bellona’s presence in Brussels remains strong.
Founder and President of Bellona , Frederic Hauge, applauded Frisvold’s effort to position Bellona vis-à-vis the EU decision making institutions for over a decade.
“Paal has done an incredibly good job over the past 12 years,” said Hauge. “The major changes Bellona has accomplished within the EU in policy areas such as the Arctic, carbon capture and storage (CCS),industrial pollution and waste management policy, wouldn’t have been possible without Paal’s commitment and efforts.
Hauge is pleased that Frisvold will continue his cooperation with Bellona as a member of the Bellona Europa’s board.
Frisvold will now return to a Norwegian consulting company, called the The Brussels Office, which provides strategic EU counseling to Norwegian stakeholders.
Bellona has been present in Brussels since 1994. It was established as an independent international environmental foundation under Belgian law.
Five employees currently work in Bellona Europa, promoting innovative technological and political solutions with the aim of changing the framework for industry and business throughout the EU and European Economic Area.
Bellona Europa seeks to reduce green house gas emissions from energy production and transport, improve energy efficiency in buildings, use waste as a resource and reduce toxic emissions offshore and onshore.
Recent attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant "mark the beginning of a new and gravely dangerous front of the war," the UN atomic agency's director general said last week.
After years of inaction, Germany is working on its Carbon Management Strategy to resolve how CCS can play a role in climate action in industry. At the end of February, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action published first key points and a proposal to amend the law Kohlenstoffdioxid Speicherungsgesetz (KSpG). Bellona Deutschland, who was actively involved in the previous stakeholder dialogue submitted a statement in the association hearing.
In the midst of a global discussion on whether natural gas should be used as a transitional fuel and whether emissions from its extraction, production, transport and use are significantly less than those from other fossil fuels, Russia has developed ambitious plans to increase its own production of liquified natural gas (LNG) in the Arctic – a region with 75% of proven gas reserves in Russia – to raise its share in the international gas trade.
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our main focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution risks and climate change.