Brussels, 27/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - Progress made in the membership negotiations and questions of common interest included on the international environmental agenda were reviewed during the seventh informal ministerial meeting between the thirteen countries applying for EU membership, the Commission and the Council Presidency. The meeting was held on Tuesday in Brussels. The candidate countries, all represented at the ministerial level (except Hungary), met Magda Alvoet, President-in-Office of the Council; Jean-François Verstrynge, Deputy Director General at the Commission's DG on Environment; Ms Gaudenzi from DG Enlargement, and Alexander de Roo, Vice-Chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment. The main results of the meeting were:
Negotiations with a view to enlargement
As far as negotiations on taking on board the environmental body of law (acquis communautaire) are concerned, a good number of chapters have been closed with Poland. With Latvia, the decision was taken today. With Slovakia, closure will take place before Christmas and with Malta next year. Negotiations have not yet begun with Romania, Bulgaria or Turkey. Transition periods generally included between 2005 and 2008 (and even 2015 for legislation on waste water treatment) were granted on a case by case basis for directives for which implementation involves heavy investment on the part of the candidate countries (waste, water, incineration).
When the chapters are closed they are provisionally closed in the knowledge that negotiations for taking on acquis 2000 have just begun and that, for acquis 2001, the "quality of air" package including the directives on "Large Combustion Units" and "National Emission Ceilings" will require further negotiation early next year.
The Commission announced the creation of a database of all the commitments taken by candidate countries, sector by sector, and the implementation measures adopted. This database will be used as an additional monitoring tool alongside the report on the state of the environment published each year by the European Environment Agency which may cover candidate countries next year, or so Jean-François Verstrynge hoped.
Candidate countries took note of a study (presented to them by the Commission) into the benefits of complying with EU legislation - benefits estimated at between EUR 130 and 616 billion, more than the cost of transposing the legislation (see EUROPE of 24 November, p.8). the ministers said they would use the results of the study in their public information campaigns on the benefits of enlargement.
Measuring sustainable development. The ministers discussed the proposal concerning the first set of six environment indicators for the Barcelona European Summit (the indicators were discussed by October's Environment Council and will be one of the conclusions adopted without debate in December in preparation for the Laeken Summit. The candidate countries were happy about being able to be involved in this work next year, in line with the Gothenburg Summit conclusions and have already put forward two new indicators - water quality and use and biodiverity - for after Barcelona.
World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, September 2002). Candidate countries adopted the Union's objectives for the Summit, as stated in the Geneva Statement (launching a global partnership looking at the problems unique to transitional economies, meeting the industrialised countries' target of 0.7% of their GDP for public development aid and applying the precautionary principle). EU/candidate countries coordination meetings will take place before and during the Summit.
Climate change. Ministers discussed participation in the future EU CO2 emissions trading system and also ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. The Commission appealed to the candidate countries to ratify the Protocol at the same time as the EU.
Water Framework Directive. The Ministers endorsed the Common Strategy on the Implementation of the Water Framework Directive, involving all stakeholders (including NGOs).
15 Central and Eastern European cities (out of the 122 that took part) were presented by François Verstrynge with the 2001 prize for the cities that have made the most progress in adopting the EU environment law. This year the prize rewards respect for priority areas in the 6th action programme for the environment with the aim of aiding and motivating local authorities to take on the challenges of enlargement.
Commissioner Margot Wallström was unable to attend (due to illness).