Brussels, 06/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - The public debate EU Environment Ministers will be having on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), will constitute the mainstay of the Environment Council on 9 May in Brussels, the first Council on this subject under the Austrian presidency. Jan Pröll, the Austrian minister of the Environment, who will be chairing the work, is seeking to present a critical reflection to the media on committee rules governing the decision-making process on authorising the marketing of GMOs in the EU, as well as the quality of risk assessment carried out by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
The Council will debate the review of the EU's sustainable development strategy, the proposed thematic strategy on waste prevention and recycling and the Euro 5 proposal. Preparation for the Spring Summit on 23-24 March and the follow-up to the Montreal Conference on Climate Change figure on the Council's agenda. Stavros Dimas, Commissioner the Environment will represent the Commission. The conference programme is as follows:
GMO: Following a public debate at the Environment Council last December on the future of European policy on GMOs (EUROPE 9082 and 9080), the Council will hold an orientation debate (open to the public) on specific aspects of this controversial subject. Chaired by the Austrian Presidency, Ministers will be invited to provide answers to the following questions:
1) Evaluation of foodstuffs and animal feed that have been genetically modified - What problems have been identified by Member States in the EFSA evaluation and how do they propose resolving them? There are many Member States opposed to GMOs who believe that EFSA, a key body in risk assessment (on the basis of information provided by the national authorities) is not sufficiently taking into account the opinions of their competent national authorities when they express doubts about the safety of a GMO. A report on how EFSA works has been elaborated (the Commission has not yet debated the matter): it is expected to be debated before the summer by the body's board of directors, in an effort to submit improvement proposals to the Commission
2) GMO authorisation procedures - How can this procedure be made more transparent and understandable for Member States and citizens? Behind this question lies the increasing opposition and criticism of the current committee rules in force, which give the Commission the power to decide, alone, as a last resort, on authorising GMOs against the majority opinion of Member States if they have not managed to reach the qualified majority necessary for opposing the marketing of a GMO. The Austrian Presidency would like simple majority against authorising a GMO be taken into consideration, which would allow the Council to decide on whether to decide or reject authorisation.
The European Commission considers that the Environment Council is not the suitable body for discussing committee rules, which are currently subject to a more generalised review, and which should be applicable before the end of the year, enabling the European Parliament to play a greater role. The Commission believes that improvement in EFSA risk assessment procedures should be sufficient for Member States that are suspicious of GMOs (those that systematically oppose them like Austria, Greece, Sweden and Luxembourg and those that systematically abstain, such as Spain, as well as the delegations that decide on a case-by-case criterion, like Denmark, to join the camp of those that systematically vote in favour (like the United Kingdom and the Netherlands).
During lunch, Commissioner Stavros Dimas will tackle the theme of GMOs again and present Ministers with a positive reading by the European Commission of the interim report submitted by the GMO panel in the context of the trans-Atlantic GMO dispute (EUROPE 9127 and 9125).
Thematic strategy on air pollution. The Council will adopt conclusions on the strategy presented by the Commission in September 2005 for reducing the number of premature deaths caused by air pollutants by 40% by 2020 (EUROPE 9032).
The draft directive for this strategy introduces, for the first time, limits on airborne concentrations of the dangerous very fine particulate matter up to 2010: (very controversial proposal, especially in Germany) will be discussed at a later date.
Climate change. The Council is expected to adopt conclusion on the follow-up to the Montreal Conference (COP 11: 28 November 9 December 2005), which paved the way to international negotiations on new greenhouse gas emission reductions for post-2012 (at the end of the first period of Kyoto Protocol commitment period). The only point still pending involves the formulation of the EU's medium-term position. The Presidency proposed text (supported by Italy and Poland) mentions the long term objective of an increase in temperature that does not exceed pre-industrial levels by 2 degrees Celsius and the need to explore with other parties, means of making the necessary emissions reductions. However, it does not specifically mention the 15%-30% reduction by 2020 or the 60%-80% reduction by 2050. The Commission supported by ten delegations (Denmark, Sweden, Greece, France, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and United Kingdom) are critical of this lack of ambition.
Climate change will also be tackled at lunch as part of the public awareness campaign Commissioner Dimas intends to launch in June, with the support and involvement of Member States.
Spring Summit. The Council will adopt conclusion for the European Summit of 23-24 March in which it will call on Heads of State and Governments to establish priorities in eco-technology, the fight against climate change, action against the deteriroration in biodiversity, development of sustainable models of production and consumption, use of instruments based on the market and comprehensive use of structural indicators in the environment. Ministers will have to reach agreement on what they will do regarding future EU energy policy, as well as on the recent creation of the High Level Group on Competitiveness, Energy and the Environment (EUROPE 9141).
Review of the sustainable development strategy. The Council will hold a debate on the Commission orientations presented last December for a revised strategy for 2005-2010 (EUROPE 9090). The debate will focus on objectives, actions and political instruments, environmental aspects of the strategy and coherency required for internal EU policies and its international commitments.
Thematic strategy on waste prevention. The Council will hold an orientation debate on the thematic strategy on waste prevention and recycling, focusing on the general orientation of the strategy, flexibility in implementation of legislation and norms between this legislation and expectations regarding simplification and modernisation.
Stockholm Convention. The Council will adopt conclusions on the second meeting of the conference for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP), which will take place in Geneva on 1-5 May.
Convention on Biodiversity and Protocol on bio safety. The Council will prepare the position the Union will defend on Cartagena Protocol on bio safety (20-31 March at the same venue).
Evaluation and management of floods. The Council will take note of a progress report from the presidency on the draft directive last January on common prevention and managing floods in Europe (EUROPE). The proposal has been generally well received by the delegations, except by two Member States (the United Kingdom and Sweden), which raised the problem of subsidiary.
Euro 5 standards. The Council will hold an orientation debate on the new Euro 5 standards for emission from new individual cars and light commercial vehicles, proposed by the Commission last year. The debate will focus on the possible inclusion, in Euro 5, of a further stage (Euro 6) for supplementary reductions, notably in the emissions of oxidized nitrogen from diesel engines.