Luxembourg, 18/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - The progress made on the proposed REACH regulation, the conclusions adopted on climate change ahead of the Montréal Conference (COP 11, 28 November-9 December) and the public debate on what "Better Regulation" means in the field of the environment were the main steps forward made at the Environment Council, which was held in Luxembourg on Monday. On the subject of REACH, Margaret Beckett, British Secretary of State, who chaired the work, told the press that she was pleased to welcome the "broad consensus on the Presidency's compromise, which is felt to be very useful, even though certain delegations have indicated that they would like to change the requirements on information to be provided for chemical substances contained within finished products as well as a specific regime for substances which are designed to be released". On this point, "we are seeking a solution which is compatible with our international commitments", she said, referring implicitly to WTO rules. "There is no reason to believe that there will not be a political agreement in November. There are many points on which there is agreement, and there is a lot of goodwill. Industry would like to know where we are with it. It is to be hoped that the Competitiveness Council will reach an agreement", she told journalists.
The conclusions of the Council on the position the EU is to defend at COP 11 does not refer explicitly to any specific figures for the objectives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the medium and long terms, but are nonetheless, in the view of the President, " useful, because they reflect the EU's desire to commit to a process of discussion for the post-2012 period". Although the Council made do with referring to the conclusions of the Spring European Council of 2005 (which list ambitions to bring in reductions between 15 and 30% in 2020 and 60 to 80% in 2050 for the industrialised countries), this is because it has chosen to be "highly circumspect". But, Ms Beckett added, it would not do "to be too prescriptive at this stage. The Council wants as many partners is possible to commit to this, because this is a world problem which calls for international action", she explained. In other words, we must not to scare off the Americans, all the emerging countries with high levels of economic growth, such as China and India, which, it is hoped, will come on board during the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. Will the flexibility sought by the Council not be a drawback in itself? "Absolutely not. We remain determined, but we cannot dictate our law", Ms Beckett replied.
The President also paid tribute to the quality of the debate on "Better Regulation"- the debate which was kicked off informally at the lunch with the president of the Parliament's committee on the environment, Karl-Heinz Florenz, and continued with a formal table round, which led to an agreement on the general principles: instead of being an obstacle, better regulation would facilitate work, the integration of environmental considerations into other configurations of the Council and the achievement of sustainable development, as long as "Better Regulation" does not become synonymous with lowest common denominator environmental protection requirements or calling the Community acquis into question. It should also be avoided that "Better Regulation" be used as an excuse to slow down the decision-making process on legislative plans of concern to any parties. Many delegations took pains to emphasise this point.
Speaking on the half of the European Commission, Stavros Dimas, Commissioner for the Environment, welcomed the Presidencies compromise on "such a complex" dossier as REACH, which has already been under discussion for eight years. "A Commission fully supports this compromise to reach a common position. We hope for a political agreement in November, in order to show that the EU is making concrete progress on the protection of health and the environment. REACH will be a landmark in the history of the EU", he said.
As for climate change, the Commissioner said that the "Council has set the stage with sufficient flexibility to bring in partners such as the United States and to make specific proposals". There is, he feels, no question of the EU giving up its role as a lead figure in international negotiations bringing together all parties to the United Nations framework Convention on climate change and the signatories of the Kyoto Protocol. "We are hoping for dialogue to start on what happens after 2012, as broad a dialogue as possible", said Mr Dimas. The question ease, "how do we create the negotiation framework?".
Stavros Dimas welcomed the exchange of views held by the ministers on the experimental implementation of the Community system of trading in greenhouse gas emissions quotas, in the run-up to its revision in the first half of 2006. "Several problems have been identified by various delegations, such as those encountered by small operators, or relating to the way emissions credits are divided up between the Member States". These will be duly taken into account, " either in the revision of the directive, or in a document to be prepared by the Commission, to improve the interpretation of the legislation in force", the Commissioner promised.
Mr Dimas said that he was delighted to note the unanimity of the ministers, who are all "convinced that the Environment Council should lead the field in attempts to create better legislation". The seven thematic strategies in the field of the environment- be they already on the table, such as the air quality strategy, imminent, like the marine strategy expected for next Thursday or programmed for a bit later in the year- are, in his view, a concrete contribution to the exercise of improving the rule book via an integrated approach to sources of pollution. They "also go to show that the environment policy can help to shore up competitiveness", he said. The Commissioner gave proof of this to the ministers. The same for the proposed REACH regulation, which aims to "bring 50 different pieces of legislation together in one text", the Commissioner pointed out.