Ireland’s Presidency of the EU draws to a close in 12 days time. Some of its notable environmental achievements to date include:
On climate/environment legislative files, three First Reading Agreements have been reached so far, on -
- Priority Substances in Water (contributing significantly to improved water quality),
- ETS Aviation (providing space within which progress on addressing aviation emissions can be made at international level, through ICAO), and
- Batteries (an important step in the development of safer, more energy efficient batteries, benefiting both human health and the environment).
Agreement has also been reached on a fourth file, the Basic Safety Standards Directive, which represents a major step forward in the protection of European workers, members of the public and patients from the harmful effects of radiation.
On foot of priority attention from the Irish Presidency, a number of other files have been brought to trilogue stage and the Presidency will be working hard to bring all of these to finality over the coming ten days, particularly -
- the 7th Environment Action Programme (the key piece of strategic architecture for Europe’s environment/climate policy to 2020, with a key role in supporting the development of the green economy),
- CO2 from Cars and CO2 from Vans (which are crucial to the achievement of greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the transport sector),
- Ship Recycling (a crucial instrument in ensuring the safe and environmentally responsible recycling of EU ships at end of life), and
- LIFE (the key €3bn programme of funding for environment/climate initiatives under the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework (2014-2020)).
- Council Conclusions successfully negotiated on the EU Climate Adaptation Strategy and on the follow-up to Rio+20/post-2015 Development Agenda.
- The Presidency has also made significant progress on a number of other files (including ILUC, F- Gases, Access and Benefit Sharing, EIA and ETS Clarification), which will now be taken forward by the incoming Lithuanian Presidency.
On the international front, the Presidency has successfully led negotiations for the EU in a number of areas, including -
- reaching agreement on a global, legally binding treaty on mercury (the first multilateral environment agreement agreed in over a decade),
- taking forward work on Sustainable Development Goals at the UNEP Governing Council (the first meeting of the Governing Council with universal membership).
- the first ever back to back Conferences of the Parties to the UN (Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm) Conventions on Chemicals and Waste, leading to over 40 important decisions towards improved environmental protection,
- climate negotiations at the UNFCCC, preparing the ground for COP19 in Warsaw in November, and in relation to the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution.
- Two further international meetings will take place in the final two weeks of the Presidency in relation to -
- the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information & Justice on Environmental Matters, and
- the UN Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances.
- A successful Informal Council of Environment Ministers was held in Dublin, at which very useful discussions were held on the green economy, air quality, the international climate negotiations and the EU’s 2030 Climate and Energy Green Paper
