Irini Vafiadis's Colleagues at Bellona Europa
Michał Wendołowski
Climate Technology and Policy Manager (Central and Eastern Europe)
Irini Vafiadis's Contact Details
N/A
Brussels, Brussels Capital Region, Belgium
Bellona Europa
Irini Vafiadis's Company Details
The independent non-profit organisation Bellona, founded in 1986, aims to meet and fight climate challenges through identifying and implementing sustainable environmental solutions. Some of Bellona's best-known accomplishments include its contribution to the clean-up of industrial toxic waste dumps; initiating Norway's electric transport revolution commencing by importing the country's first modern electric vehicle (EV) in 1989 and fostering the introduction by the government of the first EV-friendly policies in 1990; as well as its significant contributions to the policy progress and deployment of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in Norway, Europe-wide and beyond. In 1994, the very same year Norway voted ‘No' in the referendum on EU membership, Bellona opened its offices in Brussels. Despite not being an EU member, the EU's environmental legislation and directives are highly relevant for Norway through its membership in the European Economic Area (EEC), with as much as 80-90 % of Norway's environmental legislation being shaped and decided upon in Brussels.Bellona Europa has since then also been actively involved in EU policy making on a broad range of environmental issues. Over the course of the years the office's focus shifted towards climate change mitigation technologies, including electromobility, energy efficiency, renewable energy and CO2 Capture & Storage (CCS).