Brussels, 26/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - A very full agenda is awaiting Monday's Environment Council in Luxembourg, the same day that COP 7 negotiations resume, at technical level, on the climate (Marrakech, 29 October-9 November). Climate changes will therefore occupy a place of choice in the work of ministers, intended to send out a strong political message to the international community on ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. The public debate on the traceability and labelling of GMOs will enable ministers to have a say on the new legislation that the Commission is proposing in the hope of seeing the de facto moratorium in the Union on any new approval of genetically modified plants lifted. Political agreements are expected on four issues (see below), whereas many other topics ministers will be dealing with will be the subjects of conclusions, exchanges of views or simple presentation by the Commission or Presidency. Work will be chaired by Magda Alvoet, Belgian Minister for the Environment and Olivier Deleuze, Minister of State for energy and sustainable development. Margot Wallstrom will represent the European Commission. Klaus Topfer, Executive Director of UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and the South African Minister for the Environment will be guests of honour, in anticipation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, scheduled for September 2002 in Johannesburg. Here is the Council's agenda:
Integrated management of coastal areas in Europe: without debate, the Council will reach a political agreement in view of a common position on the draft recommendation of September 2000 aimed at putting a strategy in place in the Union. Many amendments voted on by the European Parliament on first reading have been incorporated in the text. The Commission only has one reservation on the time Member States will have to hand in their reports (the Council says 5 years, for the Commission 4 should suffice).
Emissions of internal combustion engines intended for non-road mobile engines - the Council should mark its political agreement in view of a common position on the December 2000 proposal aimed at amending Directive 97/68/EC to include the small ignition engines of lawnmowers, chainsaws, water pumps, etc. Only one EP amendment, that the Council did not take on board, prevented the text being adopted on first reading: it provides for exemptions for a whole range of two-stroke engines and for small manufacturers. A solution should be found.
Emissions from leisure craft: without debate, the Council will mark its political agreement in view of a common position on the draft amendment to Directive 94/25/EC aimed at including harmonised provisions for the gas and noise emissions of engines intended for these boats.
Pure Air for European programme: the Council will adopt conclusions backing the programme proposed by the Commission on 4 May of this year to set up a long-term integrated strategy aimed at protecting human health and the environment against air pollution.
Action plans in favour of biological diversity: the Council will adopt conclusions on the Commission's communication of 28 March for the "protection of natural resources" chapter. The Fisheries and Agriculture Councils have already adopted their conclusions, and the Development Council will decide on 8 November.
Climate changes: the Council will adopt conclusion in view of the Marrakech negotiations (COP 7) and be briefed be the Commission on three recent proposals concerning the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, the establishment of a CO2 emission licence swap system in the Union and additional measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (see EUROPE of 24 October, p.9 and 26 October, p.15).
Genetically modified organisms: on the basis of a Presidency questionnaire, the Council will have a policy debate, open to the public, on proposals for a regulation the Commission made in July. Ministers will be asked to speak out on: 1) whether the system proposed is up to the goals sought and its feasibility; 2) the proposals' relevance for the transmission of information on the identity of GMOs (single code) and exemptions in case of accidental presence of GMOs; 3) whether or not to wait for a single code of conduct to be devised at international level before implementing the system of traceability for GMOs and GMO derived products in the Union.
Public participation in drawing up environmental plans and programmes: not having had enough time to examine the EP's opinion on first reading (23 October), the Council should reach a "common guideline" in view of a political agreement in December on the draft directive aimed at transposing into Community law the provisions of the second pillar of the Aarhus Convention (the first pillar on public access to information was already the subject of an agreement in Council on 7 June) and to amend the two existing directives ("EIA" Directive on environmental impact assessment and of certain public and private projects and the "IPCC" Directive on integrated pollution prevention and reduction).
Promoting environmental NGOs: The Council is expected to reach agreement in principle on a common position on the draft decision setting up a Community action programme for promoting NGOs. 20 of the 24 amendments voted by the EP on 23 October were accepted. Most Member States support the Commission's proposal of a budget of EUR 32 million for 2000-2006 with only Germany, the Netherlands and Austria calling for less. A solution will have to be found for the thorniest issue to be settled - whether to include small NGOs in the scheme - to respond to fears by Turkey, Cyprus, Malta and the Balkans countries taking part in the stabilisation and association process that their NGOs would be excluded from finance even though the programme is open to them.
Sustainable pesticide use: The Council will hold a policy debate, based on an assessment report on pesticides and the Commission will inform it about the communication on a strategy for pesticide use and the draft review of the regulation on prior consent and the ratification of the Rotterdam Convention.
Sustainable development: This will be raised twice, once over dinner when the Council will discuss the preparations of the World Sustainable Development Summit with Klaus Töpfer and the South-African Environment Minister; and then in talks on the follow-up to the Gothenburg Summit, when the Commission will give a progress report on its work to prepare indicators for the European Summit in Laeken (Brussels) ahead of the Barcelona European Council. The ECOFIN Council holds pride of place here, but the Environment Council coordinates matters.
The Commission will give a progress report on the Chemicals Strategy; its guidelines for public procurement; and the draft directives on environmental liability, packaging and waste packaging waste, batteries and accumulators, and heavy metals in the atmosphere. It will also present its brand new strategy for cutting dioxin and PCB levels in the food chain and the environment (see EUROPE of 26 October, p.6).
The Council will informally discuss the latest developments in Toulouse following the accident there (presented by the French delegation); the Commission's work on reviewing the Seveso II Directive (the document is ready, but not the translations); technology for clean cars (the Greek delegation); and the outcome of the international negotiations on TBT (Presidency).