Protecting air, water and land
The EU aims at contributing to a more sustainable transport system by setting air quality targets, by establishing fuel standards and by promoting alternative energy sources to reduce the impact of climate change and to avoid harmful nuisances on the population. To protect sensitive areas, framework regulation has been created to maintain high standards of preservation and to assess projects for economic and societal use on their ecological compatibility.

20-20-20 by 2020
In January 2008 the EC proposed it "Climate action and renewable energy package" to fight climate change and promote renewable energy up to 2020 and beyond. In December 2008 the EP and Council reached an agreement on the package to  transform Europe into a low-carbon economy and increase its energy security. The package aims for the EU to reduce its overall emissions to at least 20% below 1990 levels, and to increase the share of renewables in energy use to 20% by 2020. It sets out the contribution expected from each Member State to meeting these targets and proposes a series of measures to help achieve them.
≡ Climate for action

Clean Air for Europe (CAFE)
The aim of CAFE is to develop a long-term, strategic and integrated policy to protect against significant negative effects of air pollution on human health and the environment. The EC monitors air pollution across Europe and formulated a new proposal to improve ambient air quality. The CAFE directive aims at revising and replacing previous directives, and concentrates on major air pollutants such as particulate matter and ozone. As for inland shipping, the main handicap to speed up eco-innovation was that current EU legislation maintained the same fuel standards for inland shipping as the heavy marine fuels with high sulphur levels. The new transport fuel quality directive ensures the introduction of clean fuels for inland shipping as of .... Ultra sulphur-low fuels give the quickest results to slash harmful emissions in the short term.
≡ Clean Air for Europe (CAFE)
≡ Energy & emissions of ships 

Water Framework Directive
The EU Water Framework Directive aims at protecting all EU waters, including surface waters and groundwater. Water management is organised on the basin of river basins. The directive aims at:
- achieving "good status" for all waters by a set deadline
- a "combined approach" of emission limit values and quality standards
- getting the prices right
- getting the citizen involved more closely
- streamlining legislation.
The implementation of the Water Framework Directive raises a number of shared technical challenges for the Member States, the EC as well as stakeholders and NGOs. In addition, many of the European river basins are international, crossing administrative and territorial borders and therefore a common understanding and approach is crucial to the successful and effective implementation of the Directive. Member States and EC hence agreed on a Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) for the Water Framework. Hot items such as climate change, water scarcity and droughts, flood management are addressed in this framework to ensure a coordinated approach.
≡ EU WFD website 
≡ Common Implementation Strategy  
≡ Water Information System for Europe WISE
≡ EU flood risk management directive