Brussels, 26/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - EU environment ministers will still have a long way to go at the last Environment Council under the German presidency. The session was initially programmed for two days and was then reduced to a day with an unchanged agenda. Revision of the framework directive on waste, new water quality standards and the draft regulation on banning mercury exports and better storage for this dangerous metal are the three main dossiers at the session. The German minister of the environment, nature protection and nuclear security, Sigmar Gabriel, is hoping to obtain a political agreement at the session before handing over to the Portuguese presidency. Draft authorisation for marketing of genetically modified potato, submitted to a vote by ministers, is not expected to be subject to a decision, given the improbability of the Council reaching a decision at the required qualified majority voting. For the remainder, the Council is expected to adopt a number of conclusions and informally debate around 19 different points put on the agenda by one or other of the delegations. Stavros Dimas, Commissioner for the environment, will represent the Commission. The main points on the agenda are as follows:
Waste prevention and recycling: the Council will hold a debate on the draft framework directive, a corollary to the thematic strategy for waste prevention and recycling, which will revise the 1975 directive. After the vote in first reading at the Parliament in February (EUROPE 9366), the presidency will attempt to obtain a political agreement on this text, without touching the traditional hierarchy of waste treatment options (firstly prevention, then recycling and other valuation operations and finally, as a last resort, safe ways of waste elimination that respect environmental conditions) in member states for elaborating waste prevention options. Two questions are still dividing the delegations.
The first involves the environmental classification of waste incinerators that will help towards deciding whether incineration should be considered as an evaluation operation (as proposed by the Commission when a certain energy efficiency threshold is reached), in which case waste imports from abroad can be authorised or an elimination operation banning the treatment of imported waste. On this point, a blocking minority (Austria, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Italy, fearing waste exports from Germany) are opposed to incineration being considered as recycling. They are calling for a provision allowing them to prevent imports from some member states. The efficiency criteria applicable in the warmest areas of Southern Europe were also subject to a blocking minority: Spain, Portugal, France and Greece would like variable criteria which can take account of the lesser efficiency of combustion in those member states with more clement climates.
The second controversial issue is whether or not the Commission should have the power to set minimum authorisation and registering standards for waste treatment plants.
Water quality standards: the Council is expected to reach a political agreement without difficulty on the draft directive establishing surface water quality standards. Within Coreper, a large majority of delegations have said they could support the presidency compromise, which is close to the original Commission proposal, establishing concentration limits for pesticides, heavy metals and biocides, to be applied by 2015 (Denmark would prefer stronger wording, while Estonia refuses to accept binding limit values, preferring reference values). The discussions will be more difficult with Parliament which showed itself to be much more ambitious in the first reading.
Metallic mercury exports and storage: The Council will hold a debate will a view to reaching a political agreement on the Commission's proposal on which the Parliament took a stance at first reading (EUROPE 9451). The debate will be on: - the scope of the regulation, some member states hoping to extend the export ban to mercury compounds (and not just to metallic mercury); - long term storage in salt mines (some delegations like Sweden hope this kind of storage will only be temporary); - and the legal base of the regulation: the Commission suggests Article 133: Trade, and Article 175: Environment. Some delegations want Article 175 only.
Genetically modified potato: Member state experts having failed to take a stance in December 2006 on the Commission's proposal to authorise solanum tuberum L. line EH92-527-1, the dossier will be referred to the Council. It is doubtful whether the qualified majority required will be found to approve or reject this GMO intended for starch production. The dossier would then return to the Commission. The Council will adopt conclusions on: - the revised strategy for reduction of CO2 emissions from new cars presented by the Commission in February; - the EU's position for the next conference of the parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, revision of the Commission emissions trading system for greenhouse gases, and the fresh impetus given to environment policy. (an)