The EU has threatened to withhold as much as $15.5 billion from a number of member states unless they comply with EU environmental laws by establishing nature reserves and other protected areas. France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Portugal have been given formal written warning from EU Environment Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard. The crackdown follows a campaign by the World Wildlife Fund, other enviro groups, and the Green Party to make Europe enforce its environmental laws.
