Brussels, 29/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - Protection of biodiversity and nature conservation is the theme chosen by the Swedish Presidency for the informal session of EU15 environment ministers, to be held from the evening of Friday 30 March to 1 April in Kiruna (polar circle). The choice of a Swedish region where biodiversity is intact and which houses a research centre of the European Space Agency, specialised in observation of the Earth from the climate change angle, is not an innocent choice. The aim of this ministerial meeting devoted to a subject identified by the Commission as one of the six priority action areas in its proposal for a Sixth Environment Action Programme is to discuss how appropriate it is to adopt an innovative approach in the Union for Community policies and new means to conserve biodiversity in order to reverse the alarming trend towards the continuing disappearance of animal and plant species, and land and sea ecosystems that make up the Community's heritage. This reflection by the environment ministers comes at a crucial time in the Community agenda on the environment. It comes in fact within the perspective of the Union's strategy for sustainable development. The strategy must be adopted at the Gothenburg Summit in June, the day after the publication of two strategic documents for preparing this deadline - actions plans on the integration of concerns linked to the conservation of biodiversity in sectoral policies (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.11) and the consultation paper on sustainable development that the Commission has just presented (see below).
In order to guide work, Kjell Larsson, Swedish Environment Minister, handed to his counterparts a discussion paper entitled "Nature and Biodiversity - Challenges and Opportunities". The paper stresses the gravity of the phenomenon of biodiversity destruction in the Union (38% of bird species and 45% of all butterflies are threatened, 60% of wetlands in the North and West of Europe is disappearing, and some two thirds of the trees in the EU are under stress. Fish stocks are close to collapse and some marine life other than commercial fish has been decimated). It mainly suggests: - moving forward with implementation of the Convention on biological diversity; - ensuring that ecosystems remain intact for future generations; - taking advantage of the know-how of indigenous communities whose traditional way of life may inspire agricultural practices and fishing methods as well as forest management that are not detrimental to biodiversity; - and respecting the increased biodiversity that will be gained through Union enlargement.
This background document invites ministers to answer the following questions: a) How can Natura 2000 and the Habitats Directive be more integrated in agricultural policy, fishing policy and forestry? b) Do the concerns of consumers on health and environment have an impact on conserving biodiversity and sector-specific integration? c) What are the solutions that can be envisaged for achieving a better state of biodiversity for marine ecosystems within the Union? d) Can sectoral integration and the conservation of biodiversity be guaranteed by using the current Community instruments in the enlarged Union
Ministers will also seize the opportunity provided by this meeting to hold an informal discussion on climate change in the light of the increasingly divergent opinions between the Union and the Americans (see other article) and on the future strategy of sustainable development.