Baltic and European news
Packed agenda for EU environment council
2670, 02/12/08
EU environment ministers will assemble in Brussels on Thursday to take stock of negotiations on a major package of EU climate and energy legislation that is due to be finalised by governments and MEPs by mid-December. The environment council is also due to adopt four non-legislative resolutions other policy issues.
The French EU presidency will deliver a progress report on the climate and energy talks. Outstanding issues remain for all four major parts of the package, but ministers will focus in particular on plans to revise the EU emission trading scheme (ETS) (EED 20/10/08 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/26391).
"Environment ministers can and will give direction to the heads of state," a commission official said in advance of the meeting, in reference to suggestions that the council's debate might be meaningless because the real decisions on the package will be taken by EU heads of government at a summit in Brussels next week.
Talks due to take place last Monday between governments and MEPs on the ETS have been moved to Thursday evening, after the council meeting, to accommodate ministers' views.
France will present also present to ministers an informal agreement reached with MEPs on Monday night on new EU legislation to limit carbon dioxide emissions from cars (see related article, this issue).
Ministers will also adopt resolutions on deforestation, mercury, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and sustainable consumption and production (SCP).
The deforestation resolution will respond to European commission proposals made in October for a financial mechanism to reduce deforestation (EED 17/10/08 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/26382). The subject will also be discussed internationally at UN climate talks in Pozna (EED 01/12/08 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/26692).
The resolution on mercury will set out the EU's negotiating position on reducing global mercury emissions ahead of a meeting of the UN environment programme (Unep) addressing this next February. The EU agreed to ban mercury exports from its territories earlier this year (EED 25/09/08 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/26224).
The resolution on GMOs will set out a joint ministerial position on several aspects of this policy area. The resolution on SCP will be adopted after a debate on European commission proposals in this field (EED 31/10/08 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/26482). Ministers will also hold a debate on commission plans to overhaul the EU's integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) directive (EED 21/10/08 http://www.endseuropedaily.com/26401).
Follow-up: EU council of ministers http://www.consilium.europa.eu/, tel: +32 2 281 6111, plus agenda
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/envir/104439.pdf
and European commission background memo
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