Last month the European Commission published its ‘Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe’. The Roadmap contains a series of medium- (2020) and long-term (2050) resource efficiency objectives as well as the means needed for achieving them, including targets by 2013 and milestones for 2020.

It also proposes a number of actions to be carried out by theCommission.

These include:

• Defining appropriate resource efficiency targets by 2013;
• Proposing legislative measures with the aim of increasing resourceefficiency;
• Producing a methodology to identify the environmental footprint ofproducts;
• Defining indicators on resource use;
• Putting forward proposals to use 'Innovation Partnerships' formeeting resource efficiency goals (for example, raw materials);
• Reinforcing the secondary materials markets and stimulate demandfor recycled materials through appropriate economic incentives;
• Further promoting developing payments for ecosystems services atnational, EU and international level and;
• Invite Member States to shift taxation away from labour toenvironmental impacts.

The Roadmap builds on and complements other initiatives under theflagship, such as the Roadmapfor a low-carbon economy, the White paper on transport adopted in Spring 2011 and the EnergyRoadmap, expected late 2011. The Resource Efficiency Roadmap alsobuilds upon the 2005 Thematic Strategy on the sustainable use ofnatural resources and the EU's sustainable development strategy. TheCommission will now prepare appropriate policy and legislativeproposals to implement it.

For further information and to read the Roadmap:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/resource_efficiency