EU Environment Council Meeting Covers Energy, Pollution, GMOs
December 5, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS
Topics for the European Union (EU) Environment Council meeting on Dec. 4-5 include the EU's climate change and energy package and its proposal on CO2 emissions from new cars.
The council is also expected to adopt conclusions on deforestation, mercury emissions and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), as well as to hold policy debates on industrial emissions and sustainable consumption and production.
Climate and energy package
The EU Presidency will inform the Environment Council on the progress of the climate change and energy proposals presented by the European Commission (EC) on Jan. 23, 2008.
It will present a progress report on the state of play of the EC's proposals (see IP/08/80, MEMO/08/34, MEMO/08/35, MEMO/08/36, MEMO/08/33) in the council and the European Parliament.
The report will cover the EC's proposals on the revision of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), effort sharing, the scope of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, and renewable energy targets.
CO2 emissions from cars
The Presidency will also present a progress report on the EC's proposal for a regulation to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars (see IP/07/1965) presented by the EC in December 2007.
The report will focus on parameters for encouraging manufacturers to reduce the weight of cars, sharing the burden of reducing CO2 emissions among manufacturers, penalties to be imposed on manufacturers for exceeding emission objectives, how the revenue from the penalties will be allocated, the starting year of the legislation and the setting of long-term objectives.
Deforestation
The Environment Council will adopt conclusions on the communication to tackle global deforestation and forest degradation presented by the EC in October (see IP/08/1543).
In the context of the international negotiations on the post-2012 climate change agreement, the EC is proposing the objective of halting global forest cover loss by 2030 at the latest and reducing gross tropical deforestation by at least 50% by 2020.
The communication proposes the development of a Global Forest Carbon Mechanism through which developing countries would be rewarded for emissions reductions achieved by taking action to reduce deforestation and forest degradation. It also proposes a pilot phase to test the inclusion of "deforestation credits" in carbon markets.
Mercury
The Environment Council will also adopt conclusions laying down the EU's negotiating position for addressing the global challenges of mercury at the 25th session of the United Nations Environment Programme Governing Council, to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 16-20, 2009.
Council conclusions in June 2005 regarded as essential the continuing and intensifying international efforts to reduce mercury emissions on a global scale, with a view to achieving a global phase-out of mercury's primary production, preventing surpluses from re-entering the market, phasing out use and trade, and exploring available alternatives.
Much progress has been made in implementing the EU's mercury strategy, including the final adoption in September of legislation banning all exports of mercury from the EU (see IP/08/1399). The export ban requires mercury that is no longer used in the chlor-alkali industry, or that is produced in other industrial operations, to be put into safe storage once the export ban takes effect in March 2011.
Sustainable consumption and production
The Environment Council will hold a policy debate and then adopt conclusions on the action plan on sustainable consumption and production presented by the EC in July (see IP/08/1154).
The action plan creates a framework for improving the energy and environmental performance of products (in particular, through a revised EU eco-design directive) and stimulating private and public sector demand for environmentally sounder products through labeling (the mandatory European energy efficiency label and voluntary EU Ecolabel), public procurement practices and the involvement of retailers.
At the Competitiveness Council meeting on Sept. 25, there was strong support for the action plan and for the approach of turning environmental challenges into competitive advantages.
Industrial pollution
Ministers will hold a policy debate on the EC's proposal for a directive on industrial emissions (see IP/07/1985 and MEMO/07/623) presented in December 2007. The proposal seeks to tackle the shortcomings of current legislation on industrial emissions, especially the issuing of permits under the directive.
It merges seven directives into one and streamlines certain provisions. It tightens minimum emission limits in certain industrial sectors, introduces standards for environmental inspections and renders the review of permits more effective.
The EC's proposal extends the scope of current legislation on industrial emissions to other polluting sectors, such as medium-sized combustion plants.
Its provisions are expected to bring significant environmental and health benefits and to create a level playing field across the EU. It will also reduce competition distortions between companies and lessen the administrative burden to business.
Genetically modified organisms
The Environment Council is expected to adopt conclusions on GMOs. The conclusions follow the policy debate in October, plus discussions in October and March 2007 and June 2008.
The conclusions will focus on the three issues debated in council in October - environmental assessments and monitoring agreements; socio-economic benefits and risks; and the growing of GMOs in sensitive and protected areas - plus two other issues discussed previously - namely, the use of expertise in assessing GMOs and the thresholds for labeling seeds.
Other business
Other business points include the following: presentations by the EC on the communication on the dismantling of ships (see IP/08/733), the green paper on biowaste management in the EU, EC briefings on the communication on the Arctic Region, the communication on implementing EU environmental law and a request for information from Ireland on the fall in demand for recyclable materials.
Source: European Commission.