Environment Council, 18 and 19 December 2000

HL Deb 17 January 2001 vol 620 cc133-5WA

Lords Dubs

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What was the outcome of the Environment Council held in Brussels on 18 and 19 December 2000.[HL313]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty)

My right honourable friends the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for the Environment represented the UK at the Environment Council in Brussels on 18 and 19 December 2000. One Common Position was agreed, one proposal was adopted at first reading in agreement with the European Parliament, and three sets of Council Conclusions were agreed.

The Council expressed its willingness to meet in Oslo for discussions on climate change with the Umbrella Group (including the US, Japan Canada and Australia). After a lunchtime telephone discussion between the Troika and representatives of the Group, the Presidency reported that the Oslo meeting would not take place as the Group felt there to be insufficient common ground at the present time. Council Conclusions broadly reflect the outcome of these discussions, although the UK made a minutes statement to clarify one part of the Conclusions.

Council reached agreement on a Community Framework for co-operation to promote sustainable urban development. The Council agreed on a budget of Euro 14 million over a four-year period from 2001, the same figure as finally proposed by the European Parliament in amending the Commission's original proposal of Euro 12.5 million over the same period. Since Council agreed the proposal in the same terms as voted by the European Parliament, it was adopted without the need for a second reading.

Council reached Common Position on the proposed Framework Directive on Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise. This will introduce a common EU standard for noise measurement, harmonised noise level monitoring and mapping, along with a new EU noise indicator, but does not impose an EU-wide limit value for ambient noise. Council also invited the Commission to make proposals for new or more stringent binding noise emissions limits from specific sources, including vehicles and outdoor machinery.

Conclusions were agreed on global environmental governance, essentially to strengthen the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and improve the co-ordination of international environmental institutions. The EU will look into the possibilities of increasing its contribution to UNEP, providing other contributors do likewise. Detailed proposals on these issues will be developed for discussion at the European Council in Gothenburg next June, in preparation for the Rio + 10 Conference in 2002.

Proposals for Directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and Restriction of use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS) were discussed. The Presidency explained that the EP had not given its opinion so Common Position was not achievable, but it aimed to develop a view on a common approach. My right honourable friends made it clear that the proposals had not cleared Parliamentary Scrutiny and could not, therefore, agree a text. However, a useful discussion enabled a clearer view to emerge of the possible range for agreement on the timetables for producer responsibility, and for recovery and recycling targets.

Council adopted, without debate, brief Conclusions on the Commission's review of the Auto Oils II programme calling for further proposals on fuel specifications and the control of vehicle emissions. Orientation debates were held on: the application of the Aarhus Convention to European Institutions, as regards access to environmental information; the Commisson's white paper on Environmental Liability; and on traceability and labelling of GMOs. Over dinner Ministers received informal progress reports from the Commission on the following, as there had been no time for taking these items during Council: Sixth Environmental Action Plan; the review of the EU chemical legislation; the planned Green Paper on Integrated Product Policy; Community guidelines on State Aid for the Environment; international negotiations on the Persistent Organic Pollutants Convention; and the Resolution adopted by the General Affairs Council on 4/5 December on the Precautionary Principle.