§ Dr. Goodson-WickesTo ask the Secretary of State of the Environment if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Environment Council on 4 October and on his meeting with representatives of central and eastern European states on 5 October.
§ Mr. GummerI represented the United Kingdom at the Environment Council in Luxembourg on 4 October.
The Council called on the Commission to take forward work on eco-labelling urgently and to bring forward measures to protect groundwater. In the discussion on the disposal of PCBs/PCTs, I offered help to small member states, such as Portugal, without sufficient destruction capacity of their own and there was agreement on a split phase out date of 2000 for North sea states and 2005 or 2010 for other member states. Debates were held on climate change and transport and the environment. Discussion of both the draft biocides directive and proposals to amend the wildlife trade regulation showed the need for further work at official level. There was an inconclusive debate on an unsatisfactory presidency text on the draft directive for integrated pollution prevention and control.
The meeting on 5 October marked the start of structured dialogue with six central and eastern European states. Those present were Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. There was an useful exchange of views on a wide range of topics including preparations for the next Environment Ministers' conference in Sofia, climate change, and transport and the environment.