Brussels, 03/03/2003 (Agence Europe) - The political debate on a future Community environmental liability regime, a dossier that is heavy with economic implications, will be the highlight of the Environment Council's debate on Tuesday, in Brussels. No formal decision is expected to come out of this session, but ministers will have to prepare their contribution to the Spring European Council in order to be able to make progress regarding the environmental pillar of sustainable development strategy. They will publicly discuss the new legislation proposed for guaranteeing the quality of bathing waters in the EU. The Greek Presidency trusts a political agreement will be reached on the regulation on forest surveillance, which is a priority of its mandate. GMOs, a sensitive issue that will be coming under further scrutiny as will the subject of contemporaneous conventional crops and genetically modified crops, appears on the agenda but for discussion only. The other issues will be the subject of conclusions or a report on the state of progress of work. The Council will be presided by Greek Environment and Regional Planning Minister Vasso Papandreou. Margot Wallström will be representing the European Commission.
Points on the agenda are:
Forest surveillance: - The Council is expected to reach a political agreement with a view to a common position on the regulation aimed at establishing a new Community system for assessing the impact of atmospheric pollution and fires on forest ecosystems for the period 2003-2008 (the regulation called "Forest Focus" which brings two existing regulations under one regulation). The main issue to be settled concerns the possible inclusion of certain activities for preventing forest fires, called for by the southern Member States whose forests are exposed to fire damage during the summer months. The Commission is opposed to including these activities as they are already covered by the rural development regulation, and as one and the same activity cannot be financed twice. The other outstanding issue concerns comitology, that is, the sharing of power between the Member States and the Commission in the management of the regulation. Member States would like to have a regulatory committee, whereas the Commission is in favour of a management committee.
Environmental liability: - Ministers will hold a policy debate on the proposal of directive of January 2002, which aims to establish a Union system for liability of damage caused to the environment, based on the principle of polluter pays. The debate will be geared to three controversial issues, namely: 1) the degree of harmonisation of the provisions relating to companies' financial security (should insurance schemes be compulsory or optional?); 2) possible exemptions that will allow operators to legally withdraw from environmental liability (such as permits issued for certain activities, if these are carried out satisfactorily from a scientific and technical point of view); and 3) the scope of the proposal (should the definition of damage to biodiversity be limited to damage to species and natural habitats protected by the Natura 2000 network?).
Quality of bathing waters: - The Council will hold a policy debate, open to the public, on the proposal aimed at amending the 1976 directive with a view to focusing control measures on the most relevant parameters (two microbiological parameters) and to facilitating the management of controls by Member States. The Presidency will invite ministers to answer the following questions: 1) Is the new approach proposed of a kind that will improve the protection of bathers' health? 2) Will the modifications proposed facilitate the task of Member States given the difficulties that they have met in implementing the current directive? 3) Would it be appropriate, for the classification of waters, to take into account recreational activities other than bathing, such as nautical sports (windsurfing, kayak)?
Sustainable development strategy: - With a view to the Spring Summit, the Council is to approve a text that reviews the implementation of the Union's sustainable development strategy, at internal and at external level, along the lines of the commitments taken at the world summit in Johannesburg.
Protection of the marine environment: - The Council will adopt conclusions with a view to a thematic strategy announced by the Commission in its December Communication.
GMOs: - The Council will be informed by the Commission when procedures resume for authorising the 18 new genetically modified foodstuffs (under the Novel Food Regulation) and the communication that it will present on Wednesday on the co-existence between conventional or organic and GMO products (see p.16). Ministers will hold an exchange of views on this subject.
5th pan-European environment conference: - In order to prepare the ministerial conference of Kiev (Ukraine, 21-23 May) organised by the EEC-UN, the Council will adopt conclusions on the aims and priorities of the enlarged Union's environmental cooperation with its future new neighbours.
Furthermore, the Council will hear the Commission present: - the state of progress on the draft regulation concerning the registration and evaluation of chemical products; - the proposal aimed at improving the regulation on substances that destroy the ozone layer; - the draft decision aimed at improving the Community monitoring system of greenhouse gas emissions to make it comply with the Kyoto Protocol on climate change; - the draft directive aimed at reducing the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in paint, varnish and car sprays.
The Council will also take note of interventions by the Spanish delegation and the Commission on the environmental consequences of the sinking of the oil-tanker Prestige and an assessment of civil protection activities co-ordinated by the Commission.
On the basis of a presentation by the French delegation, the Council will informally broach the question of satellite control of fuel dumping at sea.