No important agreements were reached at the low-key meeting of the Council of Ministers, but the Portuguese argue that several EU member states which have previously taken a hard line against the European Commission’s proposals for air pollutant limits (see related story) – the EC’s proposals are tougher than those agreed last year in a UN protocol (see related story) – are willing to compromise.
As a result, hopes are now higher that EU environment ministers will reach a decision at their next meeting in June that brings them closer to the EC’s and European Parliament’s views (see related story).
Also under discussion at the 30 March meeting were:
- endocrine disrupters – the Council has asked the EC to report on its work at the beginning of 2001 (see related story)
- review of the Fifth EU Environment Programme and priorities for the Sixth Programme
- the EC’s White Paper on Environmental Liability (see related story)
- the upcoming international biodiversity convention conference in Nairobi
- the EC’s work on developing environmental indicators
The Council of Ministers set out what they would like to see prioritised in the EU’s Sixth Environmental Programme, citing:
- climate change
- biodiversity
- efficient use and management of natural resources
- waste management
- environmental security, specifically the reduction in environmental risks posed by chemicals and genetically modified organisms
- soil degradation and desertification