About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

26 Envtl. Pol'y & L. 93 (1996)
Hunting of Migrating Birds

handle is hein.journals/envpola26 and id is 93 raw text is: ENViRONMENTAL POLICY AND LAW, 26/2/3 (1996) 93 E Hunting of Migrating Birds The Parliament voted on 15 February to prevent European hunters, especially those in Greece and France, from shooting or catching migrating birds returning to Europe after their Winter in the sun, by fixing for the first time a date for the closing of the hunting season across the EU. There was fierce resistance from southern Europeans, particularly the French pro-hunting lobby, who defended their right to hunt on the grounds that it was won through revolution and an integral part of French culture. The amendment to close the EU hunting season on 31 January for all migrating birds was passed by just nine votes, following a heated debate. The pro-hunting lobby had backed a Commission proposal to allow member States to fix dates for particular species extending to 28 February. The decision will present Mrs. Ritt Bjerregaard, the commissioner for the environment, with a dilemma - whether to stand by the Commission position, which pre- dated her arrival in Brussels, or to stick to her credentials and agree with the Parliament. The final decision rests with the Council of Ministers. The proposals were aimed at amending the 1979 Directive on the conservation of birds, which provides protection for 74 species. The original wording in the Directive, which simply calls for prohibition on hunting during the migratory season, has led to widely differing interpretations, and a number of cases in the European Court of Justice. As a result, migrating birds face widely different receptions on their return to Europe. Finland, with its geographic situation has to close first, and is the safest place to land, because the hunting season ends on 31 December. Germany has a closing date of 15 January. All other member States have a deadline of 31 January. However, in Greece and France who are the least conservation conscious, hunting is alloweduntil the 28 February. C EU Green Accounting Guidelines A set of Guidelines entitled Environmental Issues in Financial Reporting focus on applying the provisions in the EU's 4th and 7th Company Law Directives on annual and consolidated accounts to environmental consider- ations. The Guidelines were drawn up by the Accounting Advisory Forum as an advisory document for the European Commission, but the report does not reflect the Commission's official position nor the stance adopted by organisations whose members are represented on the Advisory Forum. However, although not legally binding, these are the only green accounting guidelines to be formulated at EU level so far and companies, which are showing ever more interest in environmental issues, should use them as a matter of priority. The document is also intended to stimulate a debate between the interested parties. The members of the Advisory Forum, who are working on a personal basis, are accounting specialists representing standard-setting bodies and users of accounting information. The members take the view that the guidelines will help, in particular, to reach the targets of the EU's 5th Environment Action Programme by raising the environmental awareness of companies and gua-ranteeing that environmental expendit-ure and risks are taken into account. The objective of the guidelines is to ensure that company accounts paint an accurate picture of a com- pany's attitude towards the environ-ment and the impact of environmental risks and liabilities on a company's financial position. The document includes recommendations on the definition and disclosure of environmental expenditure and the recognition, measurement and disclosure of en- vironmental risks and liabilities. It is also proposed that a company's annual report should feature a series of inform- ation, including a description of rele- vant environmental issues and the under- taking's response to them; the company's policy towards envi- ronmental protection measures and im- provements made in key areas of environ- mental protection; 0378-777X/96/$12.00 Q 1996 IOS Press ENVIRONMENTAL POuICY AND, L.Aw, 26/2/3 (1996) 93

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most