§ Mr. HoodTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what was the outcome of the Environment Council held in Brussels on 7 November; and if he will make a statement. [137763]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Deputy Prime Minister and I represented the UK at the Special Environment Council in Brussels on 7 November 2000.
The main purpose of this Council was to review the EU's negotiating positions in advance of the Sixth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP6), due to take place in the Hague later this month. Ministers discussed the EU's strategy, and exchanged views on possible options which may emerge in the course of the negotiations. Council Conclusions were agreed reaffirming the EU's negotiating position on the main issues—supplementarity, the clean development mechanism, and sinks. These also stressed the Council's commitment to achieving a successful outcome at COP6.
The Commission also reported on the progress of the European Climate Change Programme, noting that while the Community as a whole was achieving stabilisation of CO2 emissions, a number of member states were not. There was a brief exchange of views between member states.
Council Conclusions to guide the final round of international negotiations on the UNEP Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, to be held on 4-9 December 2000, were also taken without discussion.