Brussels, 16/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - Six months after COP 21 and two months after the Paris Agreement signing ceremony, the attention of EU environment ministers will be focused on ratification of the world climate agreement when they meet in Luxembourg on Monday 20 June. No decision is expected but the political signal that is hoped for will be important for speeding up the national ratification procedures that accompany ratification on behalf of the EU. A policy debate on the long-term reform of the emissions trading system (ETS) is also on the agenda for this Council - the last to be chaired by the Dutch environment minister, Sharon Dijksma. Conclusions on the action plan for the circular economy and tackling wildlife trafficking will facilitate continuation of discussions under Slovakian presidency.
Paris Agreement. Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete will present a proposal for ratification of the Paris Agreement by the EU that the Commission has just brought forward to speed up the process, in response to a request from the chair of COP 21 (see EUROPE 11570 and 11564). The Council is expected to adopt a declaration sending the political signal needed for swift ratification. Adoption of the decision will come later, after the European Parliament has given its approval. A lot is at stake as the EU, the only regional economic integration organisation that must have 29 ratifications of the agreement (those of the EU and of each of the 28 member states), runs the risk of seeing the Paris Agreement come into force before the 29 instruments of ratification are submitted to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The agreement will come into effect once it has been ratified by 55 parties which together produce 55% of global emissions.
ETS reform. The Council will hold a policy debate on the proposal for the structural reform of the EU's emissions quotas trading system for the period from 2021 to 2030 (fourth trading period) that was presented in July 2015 and on which significant technical-level progress has been made during the Dutch Presidency. In Parliament, the report by Ian Duncan (see EUROPE 11562) has launched the debate.
Ministers will be asked to say whether they approve the method proposed by the Presidency on the main choices to be made in terms of policies to be followed and whether, in their view, the proposals for the revision are likely to make the ETS future-proof in line with the requirements of the Paris Agreement.
Circular economy. The Council will adopt conclusions on the action plan for the circular economy presented by the Commission in December 2015. These conclusions will provide the Commission with guidance for implementation of the action plan - the only strand of the circular economy package thus far to have been discussed by environment ministers and their counterparts with responsibility for competitiveness (see EUROPE 11506). In the European Parliament, discussion has just begun on the revision of the waste directives which forms part of the package (see EUROPE 11573).
Wildlife trafficking. The Council will adopt conclusions on the action plan presented by the Commission in February of this year to curb the traffic in species of wild flora and fauna, a very lucrative activity for organised crime but deadly for biodiversity (see EUROPE 11501 and 11500).
NEC directive. The Presidency will update ministers on the state play in inter-institutional negotiations and will inform the Council of the failure of the latest trialogue meeting to find agreement on the proposal to revise the directive which establishes national emissions ceilings for certain air pollutants (Directive 2003/35/EC, known as the NEC directive). On 8 June of this year, the Council was unable to agree to Parliament's call to make the 2025 objectives binding thus imposing a linear trajectory on member states for achieving the 2030 objectives (see EUROPE 11570). Discussions continue between the Presidency, Parliament and the Commission, and the Presidency will do all in its power to try to secure political agreement before handing over the baton to the Slovakian Presidency, a diplomatic source says.
Other business. At the request of France, Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis will set out for ministers the two legislative proposals that the Commission has just presented, almost three years late, on scientific criteria for defining endocrine disruptors with a view to regulation (see EUROPE 11571). These proposals are too recent for the Council to be able to debate them.
The Council will be informed of the outcome of the debate in the Transport Council on the Volkswagen scandal (known as Dieselgate) which saw Germany isolated in its call for amendment of Article 5(2) of Regulation (EC) 715/2007 on type approval of motor vehicles with respect to emissions from light passenger and commercial vehicles (Euro 5 and Euro 6 standards) (see EUROPE 11567). Council will also be informed of the priorities of the Slovakian Presidency during its six-month term at the head of the Council of the EU. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)