Brussels, 06/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - Climate change and sustainable development (two priorities on the international agenda at the Durban conference at the end of November and the Rio +20 conference agenda next year) will dominate the Environment Council meeting on Monday 10 October in Luxembourg, under the presidency of Andrzej Kraszewski, the Polish environment minister.
With two months to go until the UN climate conference in Durban (COP 17, 28 November-9 December in South Africa), it is of the utmost importance that the EU27 ministers prepare the EU's negotiating position, which will be submitted to heads of state and government during the next European Council (17-18 October). Connie Hedegaard, the commissioner for climate action, and her counterpart for the environment, Janez Potoènik, will both take part in this ministerial session.
Climate. The Council conclusions will also contain the two conditions upon which the EU is open to a second period of commitments for the post-2012 Kyoto Protocol (in the knowledge that certain industrialised countries like the US and Japan are opposed to this). The EU would like to ensure the environmental integrity of the Kyoto Protocol by tackling its weaknesses and simultaneously launching the negotiating process by way of an international legally binding instrument to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the long-term. These two possibilities for undertaking work on this could possibly lead to an international agreement. The key question to answer, however, concerns the wording and how much weight this would carry in deciding the details of these conditions. The conclusions will also identify the progress it is hoped to achieve at Durban on questions on which there is consensus (Measurement, Reporting, Verification - MRV, implementation of the Green Funds for climate and long-term financing measures, measures for fighting against deforestation and forest degradation - REDD+ , the energy partnership and additional sectors to involve: agriculture, air and maritime transport sectors). At an informal level, ministers will examine implementation of the ETS directive and the ETS/aviation dispute between the EU and US airlines (see other articles).
Sustainable development. The Council will adopt conclusions expressing the wish that Rio +20 (4-6 June 2012) produce a roadmap for green growth and promote progress in the area of governance.
Shift towards 7th environmental action programme. The Council will adopt
conclusions on the evaluation of the sixth action programme and will also call for the development of a seventh action programme that integrates the efficiency of resources in the European semester and
financial perspectives. (AN/transl.fl)