[autom.vertaling] Voorbereiding van de Raad van het Milieu, Maandag 27 Oktober, Luxemburg (en)

Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström will represent the Commission at Monday's Environment Council in Luxembourg. Ministers are expected to reach political agreement on a proposal from the Commission to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from paints and varnishes. This is important in the fight against harmful ground-level ozone, as VOC emissions are contributing to the formation of ozone in the air we breathe. The high number of ozone peaks during this summer's heat wave shows that more action is needed and the Commission would therefore welcome this important move forward by the Council. Issues related to EU action to curb climate change also feature high on the Council's agenda.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

The Commission expects the Council to reach a political agreement on the proposal from January 2003 to reduce emissions of VOCs from organic solvents in certain paints, varnishes and vehicle refinishing products (IP/03/42). It aims to prevent or reduce air pollution resulting from VOC emissions from this group of products which contribute significantly to the formation of harmful ground-level ozone.

Discussions at the Council are likely to focus on the scope of the Directive, details concerning the revision clause of the Directive, and a derogation request by Greece, which the Commission rejects.

Kyoto Protocol's project mechanisms

A policy debate is foreseen on the Commission's Proposal from July 2003 on linking Joint Implementation (JI) and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects to the EU-wide greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme (see IP/03/1077). The proposal would enable EU companies to convert credits earned from investments in third countries (e.g. JI projects in countries like Russia and CDM projects in developing countries) into emission allowances under the EU's emissions trading scheme. Linking the mechanisms to the Emissions Trading Directive in this way will reduce compliance costs. The market price for allowances is expected to be reduced by up to 50%.

Discussions at the Environment Council will concentrate on clarifying Member States' positions on the following key issues: the timing of recognition of credits, the eligibility of projects, quantitative limitation of credit conversion and project activities.

Structural indicators

The Council is expected to adopt Conclusions on structural indicators in response to a recently adopted Commission Communication on this subject. These indicators will be used to measure progress towards the Lisbon objectives in the annual Report which is prepared for the Spring European Council.

To focus policy messages, this year the Commission has proposed a shortlist of 14 structural indicators drawn up from last years' 42 indicators. The shortlist will be used to highlight progress and to raise the political profile of the corresponding policy messages. It includes three environment related indicators (greenhouse gas emissions, energy intensity, and volume of transport (freight)). The structural indicators not used in the shortlist will be kept in a publicly accessible database and used to illustrate specific policy messages in the Spring Report. The Commission continues to work on other environment related indicators including indicators on: chemicals; biodiversity; resource productivity; recycling and the generation of hazardous waste.

Various Council formations (Economic, Social Affairs and Employment Committees and the Environment Working Party) will attempt to produce a joint position on the Commission's Communication on structural indicators in December 2003. The definitive list of structural indicators, that is the list used in the Spring Report, is then agreed between the Commission and the Council.

Climate change - COP 9

Council Conclusions should be adopted on preparation of the EU's position at the 9^th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to take place in Milan in December. Outstanding issues for discussion remain, notably on; the wording regarding the Kyoto Protocol's project-based mechanisms, Russia, and future action to combat climate change.

Integrated product policy (IPP)

The Council is expected to adopt Conclusions on the Commission's Communication on "Integrated Product Policy" from June 2003 (see IP/03/858). It describes the steps that the Commission intends to take to drive forward IPP. The Presidency welcomed the Communication and developed draft Council Conclusions that have the broad support of the Member States. The Conclusions put forward suggested actions that go significantly beyond those foreseen in the IPP Communication.

The Commission believes that clear conclusions are required to identify where the responsibility for implementing IPP lies. Many of the activities and initiatives set out in the conclusions would need to be undertaken by the Commission and the Member States, rather than just by the Commission. The Commission counts on the Member States to show more commitment to implementing IPP so that it can be pursued successfully.

European environment and health strategy

Council conclusions are expected on the Commission's Communication on a European Environment and Health Strategy from June 2003 (see IP/03/823). The strategy aims to reduce the burden of diseases caused by environmental factors, prevent possible new threats and strengthen the EU's ability to make policies in this area. As part of this strategy, a "Communication on an Action Plan 2004-2010" will be adopted at the beginning of June 2004. The Action Plan, which will be developed with the participation of the Member States, the acceding countries and all relevant stakeholders, will be the Commission's contribution to the pan-European Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, in Budapest, in June 2004.

Chemical policy

Commissioner Wallström will inform Ministers of the state of play on the Commission's preparations for a new legislative system on chemicals and present the results of the recent Internet Consultation.

Kyoto monitoring/non-road machinery emissions

The Council is expected to formally adopt two instruments, where first reading agreement was reached recently between the European Parliament and the Council:

• a "Decision on a Monitoring Mechanism for Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the Implementation of the Kyoto Protocol". Its purpose is to help the EU and the Member States to comply better with the reporting (and other) commitments imposed by the Kyoto Protocol. The Decision will also help reduce the uncertainty that surrounds the question of emission forecasts. See Commission's reaction IP/03/1431.

• a Directive standardising Member States' legislation on the reduction of emission of gaseous and particulate pollutants from engines in non-road mobile machinery. See Commission's reaction IP/03/1430.