The circular economy and the EU’s ‘zero pollution’ ambition, as contributions to the ‘green transition’, will dominate the work of the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council in the environmental field until 30 June.
Sweden’s intention is to advance negotiations “as far as possible” between the Member States on many legislative proposals, most of which were tabled at the end of last year - too late to expect adoption of legislation during this six-month rotating presidency, as the EU27 environment ministers were informed of this at the end of December (see EUROPE 13086/4).
“Developing a circular economy is important for the green transition. The Presidency will work to ensure that the EU is at the forefront in this area”, says Sweden in its work programme.
On the only ‘Circular Economy’ dossier that has already been on the table since November 2021 - the proposed regulation tightening up the rules on the shipment of waste within the EU and to non-OECD countries - the Presidency hopes to reach a negotiating position (a ‘general approach’) at the EU ‘Environment’ Council on 20 June. The European Parliament is expected to take a decision in January, following the vote last 1 December in the parliamentary committee (see EUROPE 13075/6).
The regulation proposed on 30 November as part of the second ‘Circular Economy’ package to boost the reuse of packaging and the prevention of packaging waste (see EUROPE 13074/7) will be the subject of a political debate at the EU ‘Environment’ Council on 16 March.
In terms of the EU’s ambition for a non-toxic environment, priority will be given to the proposal for a new directive to reduce industrial emissions, a text which is of concern to Member States for the livestock sector (see EUROPE 13049/3). The Presidency nevertheless hopes that the EU Council will be able to adopt its position on 16 March.
The revision of the ‘Ambient Air Quality’ Directives to align EU standards more closely with WHO recommendations (see EUROPE 13051/1) and the modernisation of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (see EUROPE 13051/2), both presented on 26 October 2022, will be the subject of a ministerial policy debate on 16 March.
Convinced that “the green transition needs to happen in all areas” and that “one vital condition is the protection of natural environments and biodiversity”, the Swedish Presidency will also work to make progress on the proposal for a Regulation on ‘nature restoration’, which will be debated for the first time by the Member State ministers in December (see EUROPE 13088/1). The aim, if possible, is to adopt the EU Council’s position in June.
The Presidency will also follow up on the ‘Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’ agreed at COP15 in Montreal (see EUROPE 13087/3).
In addition, the negotiation of an international treaty against plastic pollution (see EUROPE 13078/10) will continue during this six-month Presidency.
To see work programme: https://aeur.eu/f/4sv
The indicative calendar: https://aeur.eu/f/4sw (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)