Brussels, 06/01/2015 (Agence Europe) -Preparations for the UN climate conference in Paris (COP 21, December 2015), which will take place in less than a year, constitute the Latvian Presidency of the Council's priorities, in the environment field. It seeks to facilitate the conclusion of a global agreement on the system for tackling climate change, which is legally binding and which will enter into force in 2020.
To do this, the Latvian presidency will draw on the integrated climate/energy action framework agreement for the 2020-2030 period. This was obtained at the European Council in October 2014 under the Italian presidency (the reduction of at least 40% in emissions compared to 1990 levels, as the single binding objective, to at least 27% renewable energies in total energy consumption as the European goal and at least 27% energy savings - see EUROPE 11184). It also continues along the same lines as its predecessor in promoting sustainable development of natural resources. This objective covers protection of biodiversity and ecosystems, improved air quality in Europe, waste management, water management and effective management of chemical products, explained the presidency.
Climate: at an internal level, the presidency is seeking to make progress on the draft decision to create market stability reserves for enhancing the sustainability of the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS). Prospects are good because the Council and Parliament support this reform and an increasing number of member states would like to see this reserve introduced earlier in 2017 instead of 2021, in an effort to urgently rectify weaknesses in the ETS (see EUROPE 11222 and 11221).
In the international climate action area, the presidency is sticking closely to the preparations that need to be submitted to the UN Framework Convention Secretariat on climate change and the EU has offered to contribute sufficiently early upstream of the negotiations at the end of March 2015, the deadline agreed at the UN for countries that will be ready. To this end, a political debate will take place at the Environment Council on 6 March where this EU offer is expected to be adopted, as well as the national contributions planned by the different member states. An additional exchange of views during informal environment and energy ministers' meetings planned for 25 and 26 May respectively are expected to help fine-tune the EU's position in view of COP 21.
Resource efficiency and green growth. The presidency will organise another debate at the Environment Council in March on ways of improving the inclusion of environmental items, particularly resource efficiency, as part of the European Semester and the EUROPE 2020 Strategy. The October 2014 Environment Council adopted very cautious conclusions on this subject (see EUROPE 11186). The presidency announced that it would closely follow the initiatives for promoting a circular economy and efficient waste management. It should be pointed out that the European Commission proposed the controversial withdrawal of the draft revision of the “Waste” directives, a key element in the “Circular Economy” package and announced that it wanted to present a new one that took into account the work already accomplished (see EUROPE 11220)
With regard to the “Clean Air in Europe” package, the presidency will work towards obtaining an agreement on the draft directive seeking to impose limits on nitrogen dioxide, minute particles and sulphur dioxide from medium-sized energy plants, a text on which the Council obtained a general approach last December (see EUROPE 11220).
International meetings. The Latvian presidency is preparing the EU's position and participation at the Conference of Parties to the UN Conventions Chemical Products and Waste (the Rotterdam Convention on the International Trade in Hazardous Chemical Products, the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the Basel Convention on the Cross border Movement of Hazardous Waste and its Elimination). (AN)