Events Anniversary for 2026-04-02

On 2 April 2014, the European Parliament voted in favour of a Commission proposal to decrease vehicle noise. Noise limit values will ultimately be decreased by 4 dB(A) for passenger cars, vans, buses and coaches and for trucks by 3 dB(A). Altogether, these measures will reduce vehicle noise nuisance by some 25%. The limits values will be decreased in 3 steps: The first step will apply two years after publication of the final approval of today's proposal, followed by the second step in 5/7 years and the third step in 10/12 years.

The European Parliament adopted a first reading agreement on the voluntary EU Ecolabel ("EU flower") system for environment-friendly products to become less costly and bureaucratic to use. The label has so far been awarded to over 3,000 products such as detergents, paper and shoes. The resolution was adopted with 633 votes in favour to 18 against.

WCS researchers have discovered a stronghold for one of the world’s rarest freshwater dolphins, the Irrawaddy, deep in the waterlogged jungles of Bangladesh. The scientists counted nearly 6,000 of the dolphins in the South Asian country’s Sundarbans mangrove forest and the adjacent waters of the Bay of Bengal. In 2008, the species was listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

To warn about acid rain, activists occupy coal-fired power station chimneys simultaneously in Denmark, England, Holland, Belgium, France, Austria, Czechoslovakia and West Germany.

Art.1(1) of the guideline concerns the conservation of all wild bird species native to the European territories of member states, and covers protection, management, control and use of the species.