Environment or climate Ministers from EU Member States will finalise preparations for the upcoming UN Climate (COP27, Egypt) and Biodiversity (COP15, Canada) Conferences on Monday 24 October in Luxembourg and will have policy discussions on ‘European Green Deal’ legislation - one on industrial emissions, the other on ecodesign for sustainable products (see EUROPE 13038/7).
COP27 on climate. Ministers are expected to adopt EU Council conclusions formalising the EU’s position for the 27th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (Sharm el Sheikh, 6-18 November), for which the Czech Presidency of the EU Council has made good progress, in view of the latest draft conclusions (see EUROPE 13043/30).
“It is still necessary to agree on the signal to be sent concerning the elimination of coal, which is not shared by all in the current context”, a diplomatic source stressed on Monday 17 October. Hence the need for a debate.
COP15 on Biodiversity. Ministers are expected to agree on the formal position that the EU will defend at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15, Montreal, December). The almost finalised draft conclusions presented, set out in twenty pages the objectives and targets promoted by the EU for achieving agreement on an ambitious framework for global diversity, together with a rigorous monitoring mechanism and adequate funding (see EUROPE 13038/6).
Industrial Emissions Directive. Ministers will have a policy debate on the revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive (amending the so-called ‘IED’ directive 2010/75/EU and the Landfill Directive) proposed last April to cover more large industrial installations and intensive agricultural operations (see EUROPE 12926/2).
In order to be consistent with the debate held by the ministers of agriculture , who are particularly concerned (see EUROPE 13029/2), the environmental aspects will take precedence this time. Ministers will therefore be invited by the Czech Presidency to answer two questions:
1) Do you agree with the level of environmental ambition of the proposal in the field of livestock farming, where the extension of the scope is accompanied by a simplified authorisation/registration regime for the activities concerned?
2) Should the directive introduce common parameters of proportionality for setting penalties and facilitating compensation for health damage or is it more appropriate to leave this area to the competence of Member States?
Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. Ministers will have a political debate on the proposal for a regulation establishing a framework for setting ecodesign requirements for sustainable products (‘ESPR’ regulation repealing directive 2009/125/EC).
After a first debate in the EU ‘Competitiveness’ Council, which focused on the Single Market and the competitiveness of European enterprises (see EUROPE 13032/3), the Czech Presidency will invite the environment ministers to answer two types of questions on the relevance of this legislation of the ‘Circular Economy’ package, namely:
1) How can the proposal contribute to the EU’s ecological transition objectives and which aspects seem to be the most important in this respect? Are product-related elements - such as life extension, material efficiency, energy and resource efficiency, environmental impacts or the presence of substances of concern in products - the right drivers of sustainability and circularity?
2) How can the provision of information through the Digital Product Passport, labels or other means best help consumers and businesses to make sustainable product choices?
Persistent organic pollutants in waste. Ministers are expected to adopt without debate the EU regulation tightening concentration limits for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in waste. The European Parliament has already validated the political agreement reached in the interinstitutional negotiations on amending Annexes IV and V of the EU’s ‘POPs’ Regulation to this end (see EUROPE 13035/13).
Over lunch, ministers will have an informal exchange on the OECD’s perspectives on the implementation of the European Green Deal and on the current energy crisis in Europe, in the presence of the Director of the OECD Environment Directorate, Jo Tyndall.
Czech Presidency note for the debate on industrial emissions: https://aeur.eu/f/3nt
The one for the debate on sustainable products: https://aeur.eu/f/3nu (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)