Environment Council (Hansard, 12 March 2004)

§ Mr. Morley

I attended the Environment Council on 2 March 2004, together with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The Council agreed by consensus a set of Conclusions as the contribution by Environment ministers to the Spring European Council. We were pleased with the priorities reflected in the Conclusions. They included rapid implementation of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan, a proposal that the Commission should report annually to Spring council on the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, and called on the Community and member states to consider mid and long-term emissions reduction strategies, including targets, in preparation for the 11th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change in November 2005. We called on the Commission, in preparing its review of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy by the end of 2004, to incorporate the external dimension of sustainable development so as to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and other international commitments.

We held a short policy debate on the proposal for a Regulation on shipments of waste. Replying to a series of questions from the Irish Presidency to all the delegations, I indicated that any measures aimed to prevent `eco-dumping' should work through establishing community-wide standards and preserve the internal market; that in handling mixed 'green waste', the UK would support a proportionate, risk-based approach, aligned to the OECD Decision on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Wastes Destined for Recovery Operations; and that the `take-back'requirements of the Regulation should not be applied to 'green waste'.

The Commission gave a progress report on the proposal for a Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). We were informed that further work is being done on assessing the impact of the proposals. There are to be policy debates in both the Competitiveness and Environment Councils, in May and June respectively. We were also updated on the progress of negotiations on the proposal for a Directive to amend the EU emissions trading scheme in respect of the Kyoto Protocol's project mechanisms. Although work remains to be done, the Presidency remained hopeful that an agreement could be reached which would also receive the early support of the European Parliament.

There was a brief report back from the 7th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity/1^st Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, noting the good progress made there on protected areas and the conservation of high seas biodiversity, and also the very good EU co-ordination.

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Other items were considered under Any Other Business and included a statement by the French delegation on the need to continue to press forward on maritime safety issues; a statement by the Belgian delegation on the protection of the marine environment, and in particular the problems of species spreading through ballast water and of by-catches of small mammals; written briefing from the Commission concerning its action plan on establishing a Global Monitoring for Environment and Security system; briefing from the Presidency on its plans to progress the proposal for a Regulation extending the Financial Instrument for the Environment (LIFE); and briefing from the Commission on its action plan on environment and health.

Over lunch we discussed the preparations for the 8^th special session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (UNEP) to be held in Jeju at the end of March, and the 12^th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development to be held in New York in April.