On Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 January, the environment ministers of the EU Member States are invited to the Palais d’Egmont (Brussels) for an informal meeting to discuss closely intertwined issues - adaptation and resilience to climate change, the circular economy and a just transition - in an integrated and forward-looking approach. The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU has made the pursuit of the green and just transition its priority in the environmental field (see EUROPE 13320/8).
The discussions will be chaired by Alain Maron, Minister for Climate Transition and the Environment for the Brussels-Capital Region. The European Commissioners for the Environment, Virginijus Sinkevičius, and Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, will be taking part.
Adaptation and resilience. On Monday, the ministers will discuss with the two European Commissioners ways of increasing societal and economic resilience to climate change, and will identify areas where additional measures can be taken in the coming years to strengthen the EU’s preparedness for future risks. The 2021 adaptation strategy is still a long way off.
The exchange of views will help to prepare for the water resilience initiative, which the Commission may present in March (see EUROPE 13322/6) at the same time as a Communication on climate risks. The first-ever European Climate Risk Assessment which is expected in April and whose initial conclusions will be presented to the ministers by the European Environment Agency (EEA), will provide further food for thought.
Climate ambition. The lunch session will be devoted to the EU’s climate ambition and policy, including the implementation of the COP28 agreement (see EUROPE 13313/16) and the ‘Fit for 55’ package, as well as preparations for the 2040 emissions reduction target. This discussion will enable the ministers to exchange views and strengthen the ‘European Green Deal’ during the next legislative cycle, with the aim of advancing the EU’s climate policy in a cost-effective manner.
A just transition. In the afternoon, discussions will focus on how to make the EU’s Just Transition Policy Framework (JTPF) fit for future challenges. The green transition, while offering opportunities for sustainable economic development, employment and improved health protection, also poses major challenges, particularly in terms of professional retraining, financing and social protection.
Belgium, which conducted an extensive national dialogue on a just transition between 2022 and 2023, will be sharing its experiences and recommendations, based on collaboration between various social players. These reports were essential to the Conference for a Just Transition in Belgium (November 2023), aimed at establishing the foundations for a sustainable society.
At European level, several initiatives have already been launched to build a just transition. The EU has taken significant steps forward with the implementation of the Just Transition Mechanism in 2021 (see EUROPE 12706/3) or the creation of the future Social Climate Fund (see EUROPE 13165/34) to address the social impacts arising from the new Emissions Trading System for the road transport and building sectors. In June 2022, the EU Council also adopted a recommendation aimed at ensuring a fair transition to climate neutrality.
The Belgian Presidency of the EU Council has asked the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) for its opinion on the measures the EU should take to establish a Just Transition Policy Framework. This exploratory text proposes six key elements, accompanied by concrete measures for the next EU legislature, such as the preparation and adoption of a ‘2050 EU Agenda’, the appointment of a Just Transition Commissioner and the establishment of a ‘Just Transition Observatory’. This text should have a significant influence on the European Conference for a Just Transition, to be held on 4 and 5 March 2024 in Brussels.
Circular economy. On Tuesday, the ministers will have an exchange of views with Mr Sinkevičius on the progress to be made. “Despite the large number of EU policy initiatives in recent years, the increase in circularity in the European economy is slow, standing at 11.5% in 2022 and stagnating over the last 5 years. We are still recycling less than half of the 2.4 billion tonnes of total waste generated in Europe and no increase in the share of waste recycled has been recorded since 2014”, points out the Belgian Presidency in its preparatory note.
Two key pieces of legislation could play a decisive role: the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, on which a provisional agreement has just been reached between the European Parliament and the EU Council (see EUROPE 13307/4), and the future regulation on packaging and packaging waste, on which interinstitutional negotiations are about to begin (see EUROPE 13316/5, 13325/24).
In July, the European Court of Auditors pointed out that progress by Member States had stalled despite €10 billion being invested since the 1st Circular Economy Action Plan in 2015 (see EUROPE 13214/14). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang and Nithya Paquiry)