Brussels, 10/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - EU environment ministers meeting on Friday 11 June in Luxembourg at 10.00am, under the presidency of Elena Espinosa Mangana, the Spanish minister for the environment, marine and rural affairs, will debate possible options for going beyond the 20% greenhouse gas emissions reduction target and reducing the risk of “carbon leakage” (EUROPE 10147 and 10146). France is also seeking to raise the explosive issue of genetically modified organisms, whereas the European Commission is soon expected to unveil its strategy for unblocking authorisation procedures.
The Council is also expected to adopt conclusions on climate change and examine (in public debate) four important dossiers: the draft regulation on using biocide products, the draft directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment, the draft directive on the reduction of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, and the draft regulation establishing CO2 emissions performance standards for new light vans. The Council would like to reach an agreement on these four dossiers with the Spanish Presidency but the European Parliament has delayed the legislative timetable.
During dinner, the Spanish Presidency and the Commission will report back to ministers on progress in ongoing international negotiations on climate protection.
Carthagena Protocol on Preventing Bio-technological Risk. The Council will adopt conclusions on the EU's position in view of the 5th Conference of the Parties to the Carthagena Protocol on Biosafety, which aims to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by live genetically modified organisms (this will take place in Japan on 11-15 October 2010). According to the draft conclusions (http: //register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/fr/10/st10/st10453.fr10.pdf), the Council is committed to “contributing constructively to the update and adoption of international rules and procedures regarding liability and compensation in the event of damages caused by the transboundary movement of live modified organisms” and urges other parties to do likewise. One hundred and fifty countries are party to this protocol, which entered into force on 11 September 2003.
United Nations conference on sustainable development. The Council will proceed to an exchange of views and adopt conclusions on the United Nations conference on sustainable development, which will be held in 2012. This conference is better known as the “Rio+20” because it will take place 20 years after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. The Presidency will report back to delegations on the results from the first preparatory conference to the 2012 meeting, which took place on the 17-19 May in New York, where a roadmap was approved to provide signposts for the process up to 2012. The draft conclusions are available at: (http: //register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/10/st10/st10340.en10.pdf).
Water scarcity, drought and adaptation to climate change. The Council will adopt conclusions on this theme, which the Spanish Presidency has made into a priority. The conclusions will point out that “water scarcity is a serious problem in many European regions. Climate change and increased demand is expected to worsen the situation so that droughts may become more severe and more frequent, if appropriate solutions are not found”. EU countries support the setting up of the European Drought Observatory. This will seek to forecast, evaluate and monitor drought occurrences, as well as facilitate the exchange of best practices on this issue between the competent authorities and regional associations such as the Drought Management Centre For South East Europe and other stakeholders. The text will encourage member states to elaborate water scarcity and drought management plans and promote sustainable use of water in agriculture. It also welcomed the fact that the Commission was expected to examine the “developing strategy” of the EU for combating water scarcity and drought by 2012.
Preparing the forests for climate change. The Council is hoping to adopt conclusions on the preparation of forests for climate change (another Spanish Presidency priority). Under the subsidiarity principle, forestry management is mainly a competency of the member states. The EU's role is to provide added value to national policies through EU level coordination. The draft conclusions call for enhanced cooperation at both the EU and international level in the sustainable management of forests. The conclusions also underlined that it is necessary to further integrate this question into policies that have an impact on forests. The text also acknowledges that it is necessary to provide adequate data on forests and encourage the collection of this data.
Broad consensus was achieved on the overall text. Certain delegations, however, still have reservations with regard to certain points, notably: - the necessity of collecting, at EU level, more information on forests; - the necessity of implementing an EU forestry surveillance system with information about these forests; - enhanced cooperation and coordination at an EU and international level in the field of sustainable forestry management, particularly with regard to protection related questions. During the most recent Agriculture Council (on 17 May), the Austrian, German, Latvian and Swedish delegations (supported by other countries) indicated that forestry protection is and must remain within the remit of the member states.
Climate change - possible options for obtaining the reduction target of EU emissions and carbon leakage. Ministers will give their points of view on the Commission communication of 26 May, entitled, “Analysis of the possible options for going beyond the 20% greenhouse gas reduction target”. This text covers two subjects: - what means are necessary to reach the greenhouse gas reduction target; - what means should be used for reducing the risk of carbon leakage (namely the relocation of European companies that are high energy consumers to countries that impose environmental standards and energy reduction targets that are less strict). The EU has decided to make a commitment, in addition to its unilateral commitment of a 20% reduction in emissions, to increase this reduction to 30% as part of a concerted effort agreed internationally.
The Council is also expected to adopt “short” conclusions on climate change illustrating the main guidelines for the following stages. The Council will request that the Commission provide further explanation and analysis on the surcharges for each member state and for the additional reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. At its first meeting on 17-18 June, the European Council will also debate the Commission communication on possible options for going further than the 20% greenhouse gas emissions reduction target.
GMOs. In “miscellaneous points”, France intends to put the sensitive dossier of genetically modified organisms on the table. In a paper, France points out that since its meeting of 4 December 2008, the Environment Council unanimously adopted conclusions on GMOs. These conclusions identified different ways for improving implementation of the legal framework and better responding to European legislation objectives, notably: - strengthening scientific expertise and the participation of member states in the risk assessment process; - revision of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on assessing environmental risks; - appropriate follow-up of monitoring activities; - the gathering and exchange of information from research into potential risks linked to deliberate dissemination; - the production of a report by the Commission on the socio-economic consequences of marketing GMOs. France has explained that in this connection, one option to leave it up to member states to decide whether to develop GMOs authorised on their own territory, on the basis of socio-economic arguments, was raised by certain member states during the March Council of 2009; - the Commission's proposal on appropriate labelling thresholds indicating incidental GMO traces authorised in conventional seeds; - the need to fully take into account member states regional and local specificities, notably sensitive and/or protected zones.
According to France, it is important that the Commission informs the Council of the implementation of all of these elements. The French government also points out that the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, announced last September, that he wanted to review the way in which the common framework and common rules on authorisation procedures for these harvests are examined. France explained that “obviously, this approach must not mitigate or delay implementation of the conclusions of 4 December 2008”. The country is also requesting that the Commission keeps the Council informed of developments in its reflection on this point.
In an effort to unblock the dossier on GMOs, the Commission is looking at whether to give greater flexibility to member states for banning GMO crops on their territory, even if they have been authorised at a European level. In exchange, countries hostile to GMOs would stop blocking approval of the new trans-genetic varieties. A proposal in this sense is expected to be adopted in mid July by the commissioner for health, John Dalli. The Greens/EFA Group has already given an emotional response to this news. José Bové claimed that “this new attempt by the European Commission to force through the GMO dossier is unacceptable. Giving member states the possibility of whether they want to ban trans-genetic crops on their territory is opening a Pandora's box and preparing contamination of the whole of Europe. He is afraid that the EU “will grant mass authorisations that have been locked down for years due to opposition from farmers, consumers and environmental organisations”. According to José Bové,“countries such as Austria, which are strongly opposed to GMOs, will be unable to control the entry onto their soil of seeds and agricultural products from countries that consider biotechnologies as an opportunity for promoting them”. (L.C./transl.fl)