Health and the environment are among the priorities set for the EU by European environment ministers in Luxembourg on Friday 13 October ahead of the third United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Nairobi on 4-5 December on the topic "Towards a pollution-free planet" (see EUROPE 11882).
The conclusions document adopted by the Council confirm the EU and its member states’ commitment to implementing the universal sustainable development programme and the 177 SDOs for 2030, along with the Paris Climate Agreement, the UN Convention on biodiversity and all chemicals and waste product agreements.
Noting the importance of the connections between the environment and health, the Council said it was important to deal with these issues in a joined-up way and called on UNEA-3 to agree on tangible action and measures to deal with issues that have a negative impact on health and the environment, such as heavy metal, resistance to antibiotics, endocrine disruptors and the growing use of dangerous pesticides and fertilisers. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)