Resultaten van de Raad Milieu, 4 december 2008 (en)
On 4 December in Brussels, Jean-Louis Borloo, the French Minister for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Town and Country Planning, and Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, the French Minister of State for Ecology, presided over the Council of the EU environment ministers.
In the domain of the fight against climate change, a key priority of the French Presidency, and in the perspective of an agreement with the European Parliament on the energy and climate legislative package, the environment ministers took stock of progress and the impact of this package in the context of the international climate conference currently taking place in Poznan, (Poland). Borloo reminded his counterparts that on 11 and 12 December, the European Council will decide on “appropriate solutions for the implementation of the Community climate and energy policy”, as foreseen by the conclusions of October’s European Council.
The fight against deforestation and forest degradation, sustainable conservation and management of forests are essential elements of a future international climate agreement. The European Ministers adopted ambitious conclusions on the subject of deforestation.
The Council also adopted conclusions calling for a reduction in the risks presented by mercury on human health and the environment. This is an important step as these conclusions will allow the European Union to draw upon an ambitious and flexible roadmap for its international negotiations on mercury, set to take place in February 2009 within the 25th board of directors of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Stemming from the debate held during October’s Environment Council, the ministers reiterated their desire to meet citizens’ expectations regarding the sensitive issue of Genetically Modified Organisms, by adopting conclusions clearly marking a demand for an improvement of the environmental evaluation of GMOs.
Finally, the Action Plan for sustainable consumption and production and for a sustainable industrial policy was the subject of a very constructive debate. The ministers adopted conclusions highlighting the EU’s ambition on this subject which is crucial for the initiation of a new dynamic in favour of sustainable growth. In fact, this theme is in line with the double aim of rendering our consumption and production methods more sustainable and increasing the competitiveness of European industry through eco-innovation.
At the end of the meeting, Borloo and Kosciusko-Morizet thanked their counterparts for the quality of their exchanges during the six months of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union and passed the baton to the Czech environment minister, Martin Bursik, who will take over the Presidency of the Council on 1 January 2009.