Brussels, 13/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - The only formal decision expected to come out of the last Environment Council under Cypriot Presidency, in Brussels on Monday 17 December, is the adoption of the EU27 conclusions on the action plan for safeguarding water resources. This transition sitting will provide an opportunity for ministers to hold a first policy debate on the proposed 7th environment action programme (EAP) and to proceed to a calm analysis of the results of the UN conference in Doha on climate change (COP 18). Sofoclis Aletraris, the Cypriot minister for agriculture, natural resources and the environment, will head the work before passing the baton on to the Irish Presidency. Janez Potocnik, European Environment Commissioner, and Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, will represent the European Commission in turn.
Safeguarding water resources. The Council will adopt conclusions on the programme relating to the safeguard of water resources in Europe (“Blueprint to Safeguard Water Resources”) presented on 14 November by the European Commission (see EUROPE 10731). This is a long-term strategy to ensure the EU has sufficient water available, together with a proposal for a sizeable action plan to ensure that all inland EU waters have a good water quality rating by 2015. The Council is expected to sign up to the need to better implement the existing legislation and to further integrate concerns relating to water in other sector-specific policies, mainly the CAP and cohesion policy.
Making the European Semester environmentally friendly. The Council will hold an exchange of views on the environmental aspects of this annual exercise for the coordination and surveillance of economic policies and structural reforms, with a view to preparing the Environmental Council's contribution to the European Council in March. The discussion will be on: - the phasing out of subsidies harmful for the environment recommended by the Commission as part of budgetary consolidation; - and more ambitious energy efficiency programmes, improved waste management, water management and recycling identified by the European Commission as having the potential to create jobs and ensure the EU has a sufficient supply of resources and rare materials.
7th action programme. The Council will hold a policy debate on the proposed 7th EAP up to 2020, presented on 29 November by the European Commission in its communication entitled “Living well, within the limits of our planet” (see EUROPE 10742 and 10741). We would point out that this future framework programme aims to increase the contribution made by environmental policy to the EU's transition to a green economy, which is efficient in its use of resources and sober in its carbon footprint.
Guided by a presidency questionnaire, ministers will be invited to say: 1) whether this action programme meets their expectations, if it meets the shortcomings identified in the 6th EAP which expired on 15 July this year, and whether it adequately covers the current and emerging environmental challenges; 2) whether the nine priorities identified are the right ones (in terms of vision, scope and level of ambition for the programme as a whole) and whether they are pragmatic, and also whether the actions proposed can allow the objectives set for 2020 to be met. The programme, as proposed by the Commission with a great deal of delay, does not contain the targets requested by the Council and Parliament. Talks with the European Parliament will begin in 2013 at the beginning of the Irish Presidency.
The Council will also be briefed by Sofoclis Aletraris and Connie Hedegaard of the minimalist agreement reached by the climate conference in Doha on 8 December this year (see EUROPE 10748). (AN/transl.jl)