The future of the planet will be at the heart of the European ministers' discussions at their informal meeting in Bucharest on Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 May, hosted by the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Innovative solutions for the long-term climate neutrality of the European economy, the alarming state of biodiversity and its post-2020 prospects in the context of multilateral action to try to stem its decline are the two key topics on which ministers will be invited to discuss on Monday. Water management - a priority dear to the Romanian Presidency (see EUROPE 12177/18) - will also be on the agenda, with a focus on controlling pollution by plastics on Tuesday.
Organized in three working sessions, this ministerial meeting will be co-chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Environment of Romania, Grațiela Leocadia Gavrilescu, and her colleague, the Minister of Water and Forests, Ioan Deneș. The European Commissioners for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, and his counterpart in Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, will represent the Commission.
Climate. Ministers will discuss innovative solutions and the role of citizens in ensuring a low-carbon future. The debate will aim to identify how to better take advantage of opportunities related to lifestyle, circularity (beyond recycling activities alone) and land use planning.
"Making use of all available options, including demand-side solutions, can diversify decarbonisation pathways. Strong participation and ownership are required from European citizens for the long-term decarbonisation", emphasises the Presidency in view of this discussion.
This comprehensive approach and the participation of all stakeholders - including citizens - is the one adopted by the Romanian Presidency in the ongoing debate in all Council formations until June, in order to develop a common vision for a future EU long-term strategy to be adopted in 2020 and aiming at climate neutrality (see EUROPE 12254/2). The political priorities were defined by the European Council in March (see EUROPE 12218/5).
Biodiversity. Ministers will discuss the alarming report of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) - the IPCC equivalent for biodiversity - which warned of a dangerous decline in nature with an "unprecedented" rate of extinction of species - 1 million species threatened with extinction - and is accelerating (see EUROPE 12249/11). They will discuss the implications of this groundbreaking report for the EU and for the Strategic Framework for Global Diversity beyond 2020 to be established at the 15th meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 15, China) in 2020. The debate will be guided by the main messages of the summary of the report for policy makers, which proposes governance approaches for sustainability, actions and possible ways forward.
Water management. Ministers will discuss the control of water pollution by plastics and microplastics, chemicals that destroy aquatic and marine ecosystems. The Presidency considers that in order to address the problems related to the production, marketing, use and recycling of plastics, better cooperation is required between manufacturers, recyclers, traders, consumers and decision-makers. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)