It's the fashion show season, and in parallel Paris has been hosting the largest Textiles Show in the world: Premiére Vision. 742 exhibitors from thirty countries present their offerings for the Autumn Winter 2007/2008 season. A festival of wools, cottons and artificial fabric. And this year too, somespecial guests: so called "intelligent fabrics". Interviews:Christine Hubner ITV Jean Leonard Visit the site: www.mostra.com

The projects are located in and around Kitui and Makueni, two hour's outside Nairobi. The VNR "Water is life" profiles projects managed by two NGOs, AMREF and the German Red Cross, whose innovative technical approach to increasing access to safe water and hygienic sanitation facilities in rural Kenya is a crucial part of the EU's response to the perennial challenge of bringing water to those most in need. To illustrate this, the report shows exactly how, in contrast to previous initiatives, the local community is actively engaged in taking ownership of different water ... continua

With the opening of the Turin winter Olympics on February 10th, the eyes of the world will be on Europe. The games will bring hundreds of thousands of competitors, journalists and spectators to its alpine valleys.They have also meant the construction or renovation of many permanent and temporary structures which place great pressure on the environment, as this environmentalist explains.
Interviews:Ugo Pretato, Torino 2006 Organising Committee
Roberto Serra, Major of Cesana Torinese
Paolo Rovellino, I Torino 2006 Organising Committee
Fabio Caltabiano, Torino 2006 ... continua

Over half of all European households now own a computer. But with their scanners, printers and modems, personal computers can account for up to 20% of household electricity consumption. Manufacturers, encouraged by the European Commission, are therefore looking for ways to make their products consume less energy. Consumers have a role to play too. They can buy products with the Energy Star logo for their superior energy efficiency and can develop certain elementary good habits, like switching off devices when not in use. However, the ... continua

The fight against climate change has been organised in such a way that it offers developing countries opportunities for economic and social development.
With their signature of the Kyoto Protocol, most industrialised countries have agreed to limit their CO2 emissions through a quota system.
If need be, however, they may make use of a mechanism that allows them to buy additional emission rights on international markets from developing or emerging economies, which have no limits on their emission levels.
If developing or emerging countries ... continua

Several measures to prevent, detect or contain the H5N1 virus in the EU have managed to stop the virus from spreading up to now. The future evolution of the situation is difficult to foresee because the H5N1 virus is stillpresent in many countries, for example in Asia. The European Commission and the Member States constantly review the state of the disease outbreaks inthe world and adapt the surveillance and the control measures accordingly.We have visited a Hungarian farm which was the departure point for an outbreak of avian flu that spread to 28 other Hungarian ... continua

In Europe, fishing is generally quite targeted. Fishermen know what they want to catch and use the appropiate methods and techniques. Despite this, when they bring their nets in, they often find other fish and marine organisms mixed up with the target species: thus is what is called the by-catch.
Everything in the net has to be sorted and only the fish that can be sold are kept. The rest are returned to the sea, ehre they stand little chance of surviving after the shock of being hauled to the surface. These are what are called discards.
Interviews:Dr. Andy Revill: ... continua

Le produit intérieur brut, qui mesure la valeur desbiens et des services produits ou fournis au cours d’une année donnée, estla mesure la mieux éprouvée des performances économiques dans le monde. Pourbeaucoup, une augmentation de la croissance économique - telle que mesuréepar le PIB - traduit une augmentation du niveau de vie et du bien-être.
Toutefois, ainsi que l’a réalisé l’un des fondateurs duconcept du PIB – le Prix Nobel et économiste Simon Kuznets –, le PIB a desérieuses limites en tant qu’indicateur du développement humain. ... continua

The video report entitled "The EU revives innovation by businesses" demonstrates the importance of stepping up investment in innovation in Europe. The film illustrates:
New technologies in the world of toys: a toy car with a hydrogen fuel cell that runs an electric motor, in response to directives on limiting the use of metals and dangerous substances. AIJU, the Toy Technology Centre in Ibi (Valencia region), which tests the quality and educational potential of toys on the market. Shots of the Valencia conference.
Interviews:Joaquín VILAPLANA, Director of AIJU ... continua

We're in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Contrary to appearances, these men are not soldiers... They are forest rangers from the ICCN, the Congolese Institute of Nature Conservation. Their job? To fight against poaching and protect the biodiversity of the Virunga National Park.
Interviews:
Samy Mankoto, President, Central Africa Protected Areas NetworkNorbert Mushenzi, Conservationist, Virunga National ParkCarlo De Filippi, Head of European Commission Delegation - Democratic Republic of CongoNorbert Mushenzi, Conservationist, Virunga National ... continua