Bijeenkomst EU Raad Milieu over klimaatverandering en uitstoot CO2 (en)

The EU Environment Council will meet in Brussels on 2 March. Mr. Martin Bursík, the EU Environment Council President-in-office, will chair the meeting. The most important points on the agenda will cover the state of affairs regarding the negotiations of the new climate agreement and a political debate on control of industrial emissions (IPPC).

“Europe is unified on the fact that climate change policy continues to be a priority issue also in the current economic crisis. On the contrary the crisis is a challenge to shift our economies towards more energy efficient and low-carbon future. After the climate-energy package was adopted in December 2008 the Czech Presidency is focusing on achieving the global climate agreement, which is to be adopted in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2009,” says Martin Bursík, President of the EU Environment Council. The new climate agreement should replace the Kyoto Protocol i after 2012.

Therefore the Ministers will discuss especially the Commission Communication on Copenhagen Summit, submitted by the Commission on 28 January. In the document the Commission presents its proposal on the EU position towards share of mitigation targets among industrialized and less developed countries and regions as well as the ways how to finance adaptation measures especially in most vulnerable less developed countries. The Council conclusions will serve as a background for the Spring European Council held on 19 and 20 March 2009 in Brussels.

Ministers will hold a political debate on the draft revision of the Directive on Industrial Emissions (IPPC), which includes improving efficiency of using BREFs (BAT reference documents) as well as broadening scope of the Directive to new industrial sectors.

The ban on cultivation of genetically modified maize in Hungary and in Austria will be an issue of Environment Council meeting as well. Ministers will discuss also the EU position towards the upcoming meetings of the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

The Czech Republic, in its capacity of the EU Presidency, will inform the session of the EU Environment Council about the 25th session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the 10th Global Ministerial Environment Forum held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 16 - 20 February, as well as about the consequences of the economic crisis hitting the market with recyclable materials.

Press conferences will be held on 2 March +/- at 3 p.m. and at 6 p.m. Both press conferences as well as the public part of the Ministerial discussions will be broadcasted on-line at http://video.consilium.europa.eu.

contact: Jakub Kašpar, Spokesperson, Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic Tel.: +420 267 122 040, GSM: +420 724 175 927; e-mail: jakub.kaspar@mzp.cz