Although not formally on the agenda of the Environment Council, the opportunity for an 8th Environmental Action Programme (EAP), which would take into account climate and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), will nevertheless be discussed by Austria at the Ministerial meeting in Luxembourg on Wednesday 26 June (see EUROPE 12280/4).
The Austrian delegation will stress the strong support for the idea of an 8th EAP post-2020 among Member States, "with a clear 2030 focus and a more strategic vision for environmental policy". This 8th Programme could usefully complement the future EU strategy for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals and also be linked to the future long-term strategy on climate that the EU must adopt at the beginning of 2020 to target climate neutrality (see EUROPE 12278/3, 12279/2).
These are lessons learned from a high-level workshop that Austria organised (11-12 June, in Hainz) with Member States and Commission representatives on the future EAP, and will be reported back to the EU Council on Wednesday. For the record, Ministers had already had an exchange of views on the content of a possible successor to the 7th EAP, which expires at the end of 2020, in October 2018 in Graz, under the Austrian Presidency (see EUROPE 12128/5).
"Should the European Commission decide, in line with the April 2019 conclusions of the General Affairs Council, to come forward with an overarching SDG strategy -, the future EAP could supplement this strategy in relation to specific points relevant for environment and climate objectives", stresses the Austrian delegation in a note to be presented to other delegations.
In its note, Austria also highlights the need to increase efforts to protect biodiversity and to maintain the focus on pollution in relation to public health. Establishing the right multi-level governance framework and a stronger focus on the global dimensions of environmental and climate issues could encourage new partnerships, it said.
Other important points mentioned include: good communication and engagement with citizens to gain their support for the political framework for a fair and successful transition, the need to reflect on the global, economic and social dimensions to ensure cohesion between Member States and between regions. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)