Environment Council (Hansard, 30 November 1989)

§ Mr. Chris Patten

I represented the United Kingdom at this meeting.

Political agreement was reached on a regulation establishing a European Environment Agency responsible for the collection, co-ordination and analysis of environmental information. The agreement met the concerns of Her Majesty's Government and of the Select Committee on the Environment. It is envisaged that the agency will be a small, independent, professional body which will provide an authoritative source of information to underpin Community environmental policy. Care has been taken to avoid possible duplication of work being undertaken in other fora. The question of the eventual participation of non-Community countries remains open. No decision was taken on the location of the agency's headquarters. The United Kingdom has offered to host it in Cambridge.

The Council considered a compromise text, tabled by the French Presidency, of a draft directive for the protection of natural and semi-natural habitats and wild fauna and flora and in particular the proposed procedures for drawing up a list of protected sites. The Council reaffirmed its support for the principle of a directive and congratulated the Presidency on the progress made in breaking the stalemate over the Commission's proposals. The Presidency text was referred for detailed examination. It is hoped that further substantial progress will take place during the Irish Presidency.

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The Council took note of a recent Commission task force report on the relationship between the environment and the completion of the internal market. There was also a preliminary exchange of views on the potential role of fiscal instruments in environmental protection.

I emphasised the Government's strong support for the pinciple of the draft directive aimed at ensuring freedom of access to information on the environment held by public authorities and its dissemination throughout the Community. Following a useful discussion, the proposal was referred back for further detailed examination.

The Council agreed conclusions underlining the need for the Community and member states to play an active part in the conservation of tropical forests and calling for further examination of the Commission's communication on the subject.

Ministers reviewed progress on a draft directive on nitrate pollution from diffuse sources in water, in the light of some suggestions by the French Presidency. Discussion of this proposal will continue in the Irish Presidency.

The United Kingdom received warm support in urging the Commission to bring forward early proposals for two directives controlling vehicle emissions: a consolidated directive which would bring emission standards for medium cars into line with those already agreed for large and small cars; and on measures to reduce emissions from diesel heavy goods vehicles. There was also support for our call for an early Commission report on means to reduce CO₂ emissions from vehicles.

At the request of the United Kingdom the Commission undertook to draft Council conclusions on the need for developed industralised countries to become self-sufficient in the disposal of their own waste as far as possible. It is intended that consideration of the draft conclusions should prepare for discussion of the same subject in OECD.