Brussels, 03/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - It would be an understatement to say that the “pure air in Europe” directive is causing the EU institutions trouble in their attempt to reach an agreement before the end of June, in a first reading on the revision of the national emissions ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants that cause the premature deaths of 400,000 people every year in the EU.
However on Friday 3 June, the Committee of Permanent Representative to the EU managed to come up with a mandate for the negotiations for the Council in the fourth inter-institutional negotiating meeting planned for 8 June on revising the pure air in Europe directive.
The permanent representatives gave the Dutch Presidency more flexibility for negotiating. One diplomatic source informed EUROPE that “member states are prepared to step up the level of ambition slightly”.
Annex II of this proposal for amendment of the 2003/35/EC directive (the so-called NEC directive), resuming the levels of pollutants allowed for each country up to 2030, crystallises all the difficulties, but the statute of objectives to 2025 is also an area of difficulty for the EU 28.
This restricted room for manoeuvre granted in the negotiating mandate contrasts with the tough line demonstrated by ministers during the adoption of their general approach at the Environment Council, saying that they would not be able to improve on this (see EUROPE 114555). Since the trilogue meeting on 25 April, several technical meetings on Annex II have taken place in the Council working group, with the most recent of these taking place on 25 May.
On the issue of methane, the Council still wants it to be excluded from the directive's scope. The European Parliament would like methane from bovine sources to be included, however, but is also prepared to be flexible in this matter (see EUROPE 11543).
With regard to the 2025 targets, the Council is not demanding that the trajectory for reaching them is to be linear but there are no further details on what it would be prepared to accept at the trilogue on 8 June.
The Commission's initial proposal sought to reduce the number of premature deaths a year by 52%, a target that has the European Parliament's backing. With the Council general approach, however, this reduction would have just been 48%. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)