Brussels, 17/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - The Environment Council, meeting in Brussels on Wednesday 17 December, confirmed the political agreement reached in trialogue on 18 November on the draft regulation establishing a mechanism in the EU for the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of CO2 emissions from large ships weighing over 5,000 gross registered tonnes entering EU ports (see EUROPE 11211).
It will now fall to the Latvian Presidency of the Council to adopt the Council's official position and to submit it to the European Parliament. Greece, Malta and Cyprus did not support the agreement. On his return from the UN climate conference in Lima (COP 20), Climate Action Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete said the agreement was “a strong political signal for the international community”. The EU will be able to review and amend this regulation in the event of an International Maritime Organisation (IMO) agreement on a similar international mechanism. (AN)