EU wants to make use of 'green' infrastructure

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BRUSSELS, May 7 (UPI) -- The European Commission said it was examining green technology for use in flood protection and urban planning.

EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik said new strategies would encourage the use of so-called green infrastructure as part of an overall low-carbon plan.

"We should provide society with solutions that work with nature instead of against it, where that makes economic and environmental sense," he said in a statement.

Potocnik said things like natural wetlands can take on more water during flooding, while urban green spaces could be incorporated by planners for so-called fresh air corridors.

The commission said it would start examining funding through the European Investment Bank to support green infrastructure projects by next year.

The green infrastructure plan is incorporated into the European Union's renewable energy plan for 2020. The European Union aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency and expand the use of renewable energy by 20 percent by 2020.

A progress report from the European government said progress on reaching the 2020 targets was slow because of the financial crisis in the eurozone, however.