Brussels, 28/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - MEPs on the Parliament's environment committee will hold an extraordinary meeting in Strasbourg on Monday evening 9 March for “a discussion with Frans Timmermans (European Commission first Vice-President) who is in charge of sustainable development”, Committee chairman Giovanni La Via (EPP, Italy) announced in Brussels on Tuesday 27 January before the exchange of views on the EU's future strategic framework for energy with Vice-President Maros Sefcovic (see EUROPE 11240).
Undoubtedly annoyed by the deaf ear that the Commission is accused of turning to calls made to it to abandon plans to withdraw the circular economy package (of which revision of legislation on waste management is the pillar - see EUROPE 11232), MEPs will have the opportunity to sound out how Timmermans views sustainable development and his level of ambition in this area.
Confidence dented. On Tuesday, with Vice-President with responsibility for the Energy Union Sefcovic speaking about the need to strengthen energy supply security based on “confidence”, some MEPs seized the opportunity to urge him to pass the message on to Timmermans. “I wholeheartedly approve of the word 'confidence' that you use. We are angry about the withdrawal of the waste package. Tell Mr Timmermans that this is not how confidence is built”, said Matthias Groote (S&D, Germany), former chair of the Parliament's environment committee (our translation throughout).
Placing the sustainable development in the hands of First Vice-President Timmermans, who has responsibility for “better legislation”, was one of the final adjustments to portfolios made by Jean-Claude Juncker before the vote approving the new Commission (see EUROPE 11182). (AN)