17/05/2011 Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Strasbourg, 17.05.2011 – Governments must create incentives for “greener” industry, help companies to meet environmental standards and give them scientific and technological support to become more ecologically-friendly, the Chair of PACE’s Sub-committee on Local and Regional Democracy has said.
Hosting a panel on “the role of government in strengthening green industry” at the Nevsky International Ecological Congress in Saint Petersburg today, Alan Meale (United Kingdom, SOC) said that the long-standing partnership between PACE and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) allowed them to “share experience” on measures to save energy and tackle energy security, consume fewer non-renewable resources and reduce pollution.
Mr Meale, a former British Minister of State for the Environment, said enterprises needed to use fewer raw materials in their products and processes, switch to renewable energy and recycle more. “The time has come when big industry itself is willing to take on board energy efficiency and higher environmental standards in order to achieve a level playing field within their sector nationally and to remain competitive in global markets,” he said.