Brussels, 02/03/2004 (Agence Europe) - Conclusions for the Spring Summit on 25-26 March to help EU Heads of State and Governments promote an environmental dimension in the Lisbon process gave Monday's Environment Council something to chew on. Issues up for question are: the paragraph on the renewed commitment of the Union on the Kyoto Protocol on climate change - a commitment which nobody doubts but which Italy (supported by Spain) would like to subordinate to the ratification of the protocol by Russia. The difficulty lies in finding a sufficiently balanced formula for not putting Russia off from ratifying, either by the certainty that the EU would continue its launch unperturbed, whatever happens, or that nothing happens as long as Moscow continues to hesitate. The issue took up most to the ministers work over lunch, subsequently delaying them. As we go to press, a compromise had just been found "in extemis" in the following formulation, "the Council underlines the importance the Union attaches to the ratification of the Kyoto Protoco and its swift entry into force". This is tacitly addressed to those parties which still have not ratified it.
For the remainder, the conclusions point out the need to attain the Lisbon objectives and that of the Gothenburg Strategy on sustainable development, which also underline the need to reverse the negative trends observed in the context of climate change, energy for transport and the loss of biodiversity, the need to integrate more environmental consideration in all EU sectoral policies, the need to deal with the issue of sustainable use of natural resources, providing a new dimensions to the EU's sustainable development strategy and the reaffirmation of the Community's international commitments on sustainable development across the planet. EUROPE ill be returning to this subject.
During the debate on climate change, the German minister (Greens), Jürgen Trittin underlined that the Union should stick to the objective it set for the drastic reduction of CO2 emissions from private cars to bring it down to 120 grams/per kilometre by 2010. The European car industry (ACEA) thinks that the intermediary objective of 140g/km by 2008 would be difficult to achieve and the minister stoked matters up by requesting that the sector respect this Community objective in the framework of the voluntary agreement currently being negotiated with the Commission. Jürgen Trittin also appealed for the setting up, EU-wide, of a EURO 5 technical standards applicable by 2010 for reducing emissions from diesel from engines.