The European Union is committed to environmental protection worldwide, and this commitment includes environmental policy within its institutions. As an EU institution, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has a duty to contribute to sustainable development by applying the principles of sound environmental management in its day-to-day work.
Environmental Policy
On 13 November 2015, the European Court of Auditors adopted an environmental policy formalising its participation in a high-quality environmental management initiative. Through this policy the ECA commits itself to:
introducing measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions;
promoting the efficient use of energy and taking steps to reduce its consumption of electricity, water and paper;
including environmental criteria in its public procurement procedures;
applying best practices in waste management;
encouraging all staff to act sustainably and contribute actively to achieving the objectives of this policy.
Environmental standard ISO 14001:2015
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The ECA complies with the certification requirements of the internationally agreed quality standard ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental management system) and is officially ISO 14001 certified.
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Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS)
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We take part in the EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), a management tool for evaluating, reporting on and improving organisations’ environmental performance. We achieved EMAS registration in March 2017, and we successfully operate an environmental management system in line with EMAS Regulation (EC) No 1221/2009, as amended by Regulation (EU) No 2017/1505, and ISO 14001.
For additional information, please see the ECA’s environmental statement, validated by an accredited verifier, in which we present our environmental performance results and any future plans for improvement.
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ECA carbon footprint reports
In 2014, the ECA established an initial diagnosis of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by its activities, with the aim of systematically cutting its CO2 emissions.
The ECA’s CO2 balance is published every year to monitor the Court’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint as part of the broader EMAS project and thus help honour the EU’s commitment to the environment and achieve the Europe 2020 growth strategy goal of sustainable development.
The ECA is currently preparing a CO2 offsetting strategy.
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