Brussels, 11/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - The Environment Council in Brussels on Friday 13 December will be the last under the outgoing Lithuanian Presidency. GMOs have not been included on its agenda. CO2 emissions from the maritime transport sector and a European approach on tackling invasive alien species in the EU are the subjects that ministers will be discussing but no formal decision is expected from these discussions. This transition session will be chaired by Valentino Mazuronis and will be given over exclusively to debates. The environmental dimension of the future post-2015 global framework will be discussed during a working lunch. Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for the Environment, and Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, will represent the Commission.
There were a number of requests at Coreper to include on the agenda the proposal for authorising genetically modified 1507 maize produced by Pionneer Hi Bred International, which has been waiting for several years and which the European Commission decided on 6 November last to refer to the Council, following the European Court of Justice decision (case T-164/10), asking it to approve authorisation (see EUROPE 10959 et 10958). The Council has three months to examine the proposal just submitted to it so the Presidency has concluded from the views expressed by the member states' ambassadors that it was premature to debate it on 13 December. The dossier will therefore be referred to the Agriculture Council under the Greek presidency.
CO2 emissions from maritime transport: the Council will hold a first exchange of views on the draft regulation of July 2013 which seeks to introduce into the EU a greenhouse gas emissions monitoring, declaration and verification system on emissions from the sector, as a first step towards reducing its emissions. Ministers will be invited to give their views on appropriateness of the scope of the text and to say whether they consider that, in the proposed harmonised system, a balance has been achieved between equal treatment and the required flexibility. The system could be used as an example for implementing the global system within the context of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
Invasive alien species: the Council will have a policy debate on the draft regulation presented by the Commission on 9 September last, in order to prevent and manage the introduction and propagation of invasive alien species in the EU (see EUROPE 10917). Ministers will be invited to say 1) whether the list of invasive species should be limited (the Commission is proposing 50 priority species) and whether a mechanism is required to identify the species that should be included in the priority list; 2) if the text should contain provisions for supporting action against the species at a bio-geographic level of EU regions.
The Council will also be informed about the Greek Presidency's work programme. (AN/transl.fl)