The certificate was received by Elena Espinosa, Minister for the Environment, on behalf of the Spanish Government.
The 'Spain Complex' comprises the buildings corresponding to the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU, the Permanent Representation of Spain to the Council of the Western European Union and the Consulate General of Spain in Belgium.
Spain is the first member state of the EU to obtain this certification, which recognises good management practices and environmental audits. The EMAS certification was awarded on Monday 17 May for the 'Spain Complex' in Brussels. The Minister for the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs, Elena Espinosa, received the certificate on behalf of the Government of Spain at an award ceremony in which the Minister for the Environment and Energy for the Region of Brussels, Evelyne Huytebroeck, and the Director General for the Environment of the European Commission, Karl Falkenberg, also took part.
The 'Spain Complex' comprises the buildings of the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU, the Permanent Representation of Spain to the Council of the Western European Union and the Consulate General of Spain in Belgium.
Minister Espinosa, upon receiving the certificate, highlighted that it is essential for the public authorities and European institutions to set a good example in a Europe where environmental issues are increasingly more important and obtaining EMAS registration is a good case in question.
In the Minister's words, the most important aspect of being awarded the EMAS certification is that it is the start of an on-going process in which the registered organisations establish new environmental challenges to be met on an annual basis.
Elena Espinosa concluded by declaring it her wish that the initiative of the Spanish Diplomatic Mission should serve as an example and pave the way for other Missions to face this challenge.
Among the improvements made to the 'Spain Complex' in order to receive EMAS certification are the 25% reduction in electricity consumption per person in the year 2008-2009, the establishment of a recycling system for all waste from the three Complex buildings, the establishment of a common transport system for staff to the Council and the use of green electricity throughout the Complex.
The certification obtained by Spain corresponds to the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), a scheme made available to companies and other organisations which, on a voluntary basis, seek to assess and improve their environmental performance.
The EMAS scheme has been available to companies since 1995, and while it was originally limited to companies in industrial sectors, since 2001 EMAS has been open to all economic sectors, including public and private services.
EMAS and the 'Spain complex'
The process to receive EMAS certification began in October 2007. Due to the special characteristics of the Complex - buildings belonging to the Spanish authorities on Belgian territory - the question was raised as to which legislation should be applicable.
The final decision was to submit the Complex to both legislative regimes; hence both Belgian and Spanish legislation has been complied with throughout the whole process. It has been a long and laborious process whereby each member of the Diplomatic Mission has contributed his or her part.
Once the 'Spain Complex' had implemented its Environmental Management System and verified compliance with all the requirements laid out in the EMAS Regulations, it was registered with the appropriate body - the Brussels Institute for Management of the Environment (IBGE) - which officially notified the inclusion of the Complex in said Register on 27 April 2010.