Environment
A healthy environment is essential, not only for long-term sustainable economic development, but also for social stability. The state of the environment is one of the most significant indicators of the status of a society and the quality of life enjoyed by the population. Environmental protection has always been one of the European Union’s main priorities.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
During the Czech Presidency, the main priority in the area of the environment will be the protection of the climate. The Czech Republic, on behalf of the European Union, is negotiating commitments by the global community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the expiry of the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012. The EU’s aim is for a new global agreement to be reached at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen in December 2009. Another key topic are the measures to adapt to climate change, especially introducing suitable and efficient adaptation measures to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change.
Another environmental priority of the Czech Presidency is the protection of human health and the environment, e.g. a proposal for a Directive on industrial emissions and a review of the Directive on national emission ceilings. Other priorities include sustainable consumption and production (the European Commission’s Communication on sustainable consumption and production, a review of the Regulation on ecolabelling and environmental management) and protecting biodiversity.
During the Czech Presidency, the following important meetings will take place:
- Seventeenth Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (4-15 May 2009, New York)
- Twenty-Fifth Session of the Governing Council of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
- Tenth Global Ministerial Environment Forum (16–25 February 2009, Nairobi).
Last update: 16.8.2011 16:01
