Brussels, 24/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - Moving the EU towards a circular economy, green growth and employment, promoting an agreement in October on the climate/energy framework for action 2030, ensuring that the EU stands united in international climate talks, progress on the clean air package: these are the main environmental priorities of the six months of the Italian Presidency (see EUROPE 11114). Gian Luca Galletti, President of the Environment Council, presented them on Wednesday 23 July to the committee on the environment of the Parliament, which is chaired by Giovanni La Via (EPP, Italy). This gave the MEPs the opportunity to express their considerable expectations, particularly for an ambitious climate/energy framework with binding objectives and on the respective environmental standards in negotiations for the TTIP agreement between the EU and the United States.
“We need a cultural paradigm shift, and to make clear that growth and jobs can be created in the whole economy by being green”, said Galletti, summing up in a single sentence the message sent out a few days earlier by the informal Environment Council of Milan (see EUROPE 11124, 11123). The Italian minister is also hoping for “significant progress” towards an agreement by the end of the year on the draft regulation aiming to allow the member states to restrict or ban the cultivation on their territory of GMOs authorised at EU level (see EUROPE 11127).
30% energy efficiency- not enough. During the debate, Peter Liese (EPP, Germany) called on the Italian Presidency to do all in its power to ensure that the climate/energy framework for action 2030 “is binding in nature for the three objectives” (Ed: reduction in emissions, renewables, energy savings). Mathias Groote (S&D, Germany) is counting on the Italian Presidency to raise the EU's ambition level. “For energy efficiency, the 30% proposed by the European commission is a long way off the 40% called for by the Parliament. At 40%, we would have a proper programme in favour of the economy and employment”, he said. As regards the structural reform of the ETS (new rapporteur: Ivo Belet, EPP, Belgium), Groote argued for the creation of a carbon market stability reserve proposed by the Commission for 2021 to be brought forward to 2017, as called for by Germany. “2021 is too late”, he said. “You say that it is vital for the EU to stand united. The Parliament is united, we want three binding objectives”, said Bas Eickhout (Greens, Belgium). He also stressed that the funding will be “the keyword at the climate conference of Lima” (COP 20, December 2014).
On all of these points, Galletti took pains to reassure his audience. He said that it is in the Council's interests to make progress as quickly as possible in order to ensure the correct functioning of the ETS. Furthermore, “the Council intends to have a uniform position ahead of the European Council 26 October. This is the message to send out for Lima and Paris in 2015. The Italian Presidency will have to reach an agreement which is as ambitious as possible and which brings everybody together”, he said.
Niels Torvalds (ALDE), rapporteur on ILUC legislation (indirect land-use change), expressed his concerns that the dossier could run up against a blocking minority at the Council - a fear not shared by the president of the Environment Council. Katerina Konecna (GUE/NGL, Czech Republic) asked the Presidency to carry out an “immediate consultation” on the TTIP, in order to mollify concerns that environmental and social standards will be reversed by this dossier, which is being “negotiated by the Commission behind closed doors”. (AN)