When it comes to the environment, the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU has placed its work for the next six months under the banner of sustainable development.
They have decided to focus on initiatives to promote a competitive economy in terms of the use of resources and competitiveness under the sustainable development programme for 2030, explained Maltese sustainable development, environment and climate change minister Jose Herrera, who will be chairing the Environment Council, who will make implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement and the EU’s transition to a circular economy two of its priorities.
As a sign of its priorities, the informal meeting of the Environment Council in Valetta on 25 and 26 April will be devoted to maritime waste, the re-use of water and adapting to climate change.
Climate. The Maltese Presidency will work on ‘tangible and substantial progress’ on the draft structural reworking of the emissions quota trading system (ETS) for 2021-2030 – the EU’s main low-cost instrument for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030 on 1990 levels. Progress on the ‘winter package’ on clean energy, particularly the review of the renewables, energy efficiency and the energy performance of buildings directives are the indispensable corollary (see other article).
On reform of ETS, two policy debates at the Environment Council did not enable ministers to overcome their differences so the Presidency is taking a cautious line and leaving more time for the Council’s working group after the vote in first reading at the European Parliament, foreseen for the 13-16 February plenary, to increase the likelihood of a common position being reached. It hopes to reach political agreement (a ‘general orientation’ in the jargon) at the Environment Council of 19 June rather than 28 February, which was desired by the most optimistic ministers and the European Commission at the last Environment Council (on 20 December under the Slovak Presidency) (see EUROPE 11692).
On the summer package, the Maltese Presidency hopes to win progress on the draft regulation on burden-sharing among the member states in non-ETS sectors for a collective reduction of 30% in greenhouse gas emissions not covered by ETS (transport, buildings, forestry, agriculture and waste). It hopes in this way, if possible, to obtain a political agreement on 19 June on the draft regulation on land use, change of land use and forestry (Lulucf) aimed at the contribution of agriculture and forestry to the fight against climate change (see EUROPE 11647).
Aviation emissions. The Maltese Presidency will monitor the agreement reached in Montréal in October 2016 at the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) on a global market-based measure for neutral growth in terms of carbon emissions for international air transport in 2020, by means of a compensation system for aviation emissions by other areas of activity (see EUROPE 11645, 11641). The subject is on the agenda of the Environment Council for 29 February for a European Commission information point. The technical measures to make this agreement operational still need to be negotiated. At the start of the year, the European Commission will unveil a report analysing the agreement and an impact analysis of the various options considered for the future of ETS ahead of a decision in 2017, aware that the Stop the Clock Regulation excluding intercontinental flights from ETS expires at the end of the year.
Sustainable development. The Maltese Presidency has scheduled an exchange of views for the 28 February Environment Council on the recent European Commission communication sketching out the next stages in implementation of the universal sustainable development agenda.
Circular economy. The Maltese Presidency is planning to ensure progress in the circular economy by getting the Council to work on draft revision of the EU’s six waste directives.
Water in the Mediterranean. Along with two formal Environment Council meetings, the Maltese Presidency is convening a ministerial meeting in Valletta in April on the Union for the Mediterranean with the hope of seeing it adopt a strategy for water in the Mediterranean. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)