EU Environment Ministers to take decision on industrial emissions directive
On Thursday 25 June, Luxembourg will host the last meeting of EU Environment Ministers held under the Czech Presidency.
The meeting will be chaired by the Environment Council President, Minister Ladislav Miko. The main item on the agenda is the proposal for a directive on industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control - IPPC).
The Czech Presidency seeks a common position of all the EU Member States for negotiations with the European Parliament, where the complex legislative proposal on the protection of air, water and soil from industrial pollution was put to vote already in March this year. “After more than a year of intensive discussions, it is time that the EU-27 agreed on the text of the industrial emissions directive, thus helping improve the environment for EU citizens and simplifying and clarifying legislation for the industry”, stressed Ladislav Miko.
If on Thursday the Ministers reach agreement on the wording of the revised directive on integrated pollution prevention and control and other six related directives concerning industrial pollution, the European Parliament will have four months to give it a second reading and issue its opinion on the Council position.
The representatives will also address biodiversity protection, climate change, bio-waste management and soil protection.
First, the Ministers will assess the implementation of the objective to stop the decline of biodiversity in the EU by 2010, endorsed by the EU Heads of State in 2001.
They are also expected to decide whether the issue of invasive species should be tackled at Community level. The European Commission estimates that the spreading of non-native species in the EU results in costs amounting to EUR 12.7 billion a year, due to harm done to the environment, economic activities and human health. In addition, this problem will become increasingly serious – the growing pace of trade globalisation will cause more frequent cases of unintentional introduction of species into a new environment. Besides, due to climate change affecting agriculture and forest management, new, more resilient cultivars, such as plants resistant to drought, will be introduced on purpose, which usually does not go without unwanted side-effects.
The UN summit on climate change in Copenhagen, where the continuation of the Kyoto Protocol should be negotiated, is to be held in less than six months, i.e. in December 2009. Therefore, the objective of the exchange of opinions in Luxembourg is to bring the positions of the EU countries closer to the position of the future Copenhagen Treaty. “We aim to prepare the ground for the Swedish Presidency, which will negotiate the commitments to lower emissions with the developed and developing countries, in the best way we can,” added Miko.
At the same time, it is expected that on Thursday the Ministers will support unanimously the creation of a European information system on issues relating to adaptations to climate change as well as the creation of a new expert group dealing with the impacts of climate change and adaptations.
Another item on the agenda – a discussion of the conclusions of the Council on disposal of bio-waste – is also related to the issue of climate change. At present, bio-waste is usually deposited in landfills, where significant emissions of greenhouse gasses occur. The delegations will discuss the need for new regulation that would take into account local conditions and determine measures for introduction of separately-collected waste and adequate treatment of biodegradable waste. It should also define the criteria for the quality of composts and anaerobic digestors to be used in the soil. The introduction of quality criteria with uniform labelling would facilitate management of such materials, and therefore contribute toward the reintroduction of organic substances and nutrients into the soil.
Another proposal relating to the issue of soil is the framework directive on protection of soil, the protection of which is not yet regulated by Community legislation – unlike other environmental elements. For the past 5 years the EU governments have not been able to agree on the wording of this directive; therefore the Czech Presidency will only present a report on its development. The report sums up amendments of texts that were agreed on by a majority of Member States during the intense negotiations in the past six months.
To conclude the meeting, President of EU Environment Council Ladislav Miko will sum up the outcomes of international meetings and conferences on environmental issues that were held in the Czech Republic and he will pass on the agenda to the Swedish Environment Minister, Andreas Carlgren.
- A press conference will be held on 25 June at the conference centre FIL 5, rue Carlo Hemmer, Luxemburg. The press conference as well as the public part of the ministerial discussions can be viewed live at: http://video.consilium.europa.eu.
Contact:
- Jakub Kašpar, Spokesman of the Ministry of the Environment
- Tel.: +420 267 122 040, GSM: +420 724 175 927, E-mail: [email protected]
Last update: 16.8.2011 15:18
