European Environmental Bureau

The EEB is the largest federation of environmental organisations in Europe, with more than 140 members, environmental non-governmental organisations in 31 countries. Our specific mission is to promote environmental and sustainability policies at the European Union level by effectively integrating environmental objectives into the EU’s horizontal and sectoral policies, as well as ensuring compliance with effective strategies to realise these objectives. The EEB office in Brussels closely coordinates EU-oriented activities with our Members at a national level around Europe.

The EEB is an advocate of environmental policy and runs 13 specialised Member Working Groups. We also produce policy papers that either are, or we feel ought to be, on the EU agenda, and represent our Membership in regular discussions with European institutions. We run an information and press service.

The EEB has day-to-day working relationships with EU institutions including the European Commission, the European Parliament and Council of Ministers, and has routine contacts with the European Environmental Agency and other EU institutions and bodies, Member States’ Permanent Representatives and national ministries. We also have consultative status at the Council of Europe and the United Nations and play an important role in the environmental NGO community in promoting implementation of the Aarhus Convention both within and outside the EU.

Environmental organisations in Accession and Candidate Countries and, increasingly, in the Western Balkans, continue to regard the EEB as their main partner with an EU focus. Our experience, relationships and position are of great value to these states in determining their own role in processes related to EU enlargement and the environment. Owing to the EEB’s proactive involvement, our membership numbers from New Member States and those aspiring to join the EU are already large and are growing.

In November 2004, the EEB, working with the Ban Mercury Working Group, launched the ‘Zero Mercury’ campaign, whose ultimate goal is to achieve zero emissions, demand and supply of mercury, from all sources we can control, to reduce global environmental mercury levels to a minimum. An international Zero Mercury Working Group was created to follow up developments at EU and global (UNEP) level.