A document of the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union dated 26 August proposes to the national delegations of the Member States to call for the setting of a European target of “zero plastic waste discharged into the sea by 2025”.
Obtained by EUROPE, this document is a provisional version of Council conclusions on the new EU biodiversity strategy presented by the European Commission on 20 May (see EUROPE 12491/2). It will be analysed by the national experts of the Environment Working Group during their informal video conference on 2 and 3 September.
The German Presidency stresses that the biodiversity strategy must be a central element of the EU’ post-Covid-19 recovery plan.
It also suggests that Member States ask the Commission to come forward with an ambitious proposal to close down the ivory trade on the EU market completely.
According to the Presidency, these conclusions should furthermore call on the Member States and the Commission to rapidly take appropriate measures to monitor and prosecute the illegal import of meat from wild animals at European borders.
The German authorities are also of the opinion that future findings should highlight the need to reverse the decline of pollinators that play a “vital role” for ecosystem health and food security, and to urgently strengthen actions against invasive alien species.
Finally, Germany proposes to invite the Commission to integrate biodiversity objectives already in the preparation of legislative proposals to implement the Biodiversity Strategy. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)