Written Ministerial Statement by Hilary Benn: Environment Council 5 June 2008 — 19 June 2008
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Hilary Benn)
I represented the UK at the EU Environment Council in Luxembourg on 5 June 2008.
At this Council, Member States set out their views so far on the 2020 Climate and Energy Package. The UK intervened to stress the importance of reaching agreement on the package this year. With regard to the EU Emissions Trading System, the UK highlighted the need for a sufficiently robust central cap with a clear downwards emissions reduction trajectory as proposed by the European Commission, and supported the linking of emissions trading systems as a building block towards a global carbon market. The UK also emphasized our opposition to mandatory earmarking or hypothecation of auction revenues, and the reassignment of auctioning rights. Elsewhere, the UK stressed the importance of focussing on the objective of a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as part of an international agreement on climate change. The UK broadly welcomed the Commission’s legislative proposal on Carbon Capture and Storage. Finally, the UK emphasised the importance of developing coherent sustainability criteria for biofuels based on the evidence available and taking into account not just the direct effects but also indirect effects such as indirect land-use change.
Member States also set out their positions on the Commission's proposal for a regulation to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars. The UK welcomed the proposal, called for the addition of a challenging long term target for CO2 emissions reductions to 2020 in addition to the proposed 2012 target. The UK also stressed the need for provisions to protect independent niche and small-volume manufacturers.
Ministers discussed the way forward on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). The UK intervened to strongly support the principles behind the current evidence-based, case-by-base decision making process and the central role of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The UK supported examination of measures to speed the current process up but stressed that this must be done within the current regulatory framework, and must not compromise safety or conflict with World Trade Organisation (WTO) obligations.
Under ‘Any Other Business’, the Presidency provided information on the Euro VI regulation; the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity; the Conference of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety; progress under the Bali road map; the outcome of the “Bridging the gap” conference, and; the Implementation of the Action Programme for the implementation of the Territorial agenda of the EU. At the request of delegations, additional AOB items included proposals for sustainable consumption and production and sustainable industrial policy and information on the Fourth Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context.
Page published: 19 June 2008