12 October: Environment Council

Date: 21/10/1999

EU ENVIRONMENT ministers rounded off a low-key meeting in Luxembourg with an agree-ment on accidental marine pollution. Progress was also made towards a joint EU position on climate change ahead of forthcoming international talks and ministers held an open debate on the European Com-mission's controversial proposals to tackle smog and acidification.

Ministers warned bluntly that the EU would fail to meet climate change commitments it signed up to at Kyoto in 1997 unless governments stepped up their efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. In a review of EU measures taken to combat global warming, ministers said progress had been slow in areas such as transport, energy and taxation. They urged finance ministers to take an early decision on an EU-wide energy tax and called on the Commission to “strengthen and speed up” moves to draw up common policies and measures to cut carbon emissions.

A LIVELY public debate was held on a raft of Commission proposals aimed at cutting levels of the major pollutants which cause summer smog and acidification. The discussion revealed a wide gulf between northern European member states and Mediterranean countries. The lack of consensus on the issue means that it is highly unlikely governments will sign up to more stringent cuts in damaging emissions and volatile organic compounds than they agreed at a United Nations-sponsored conference last month.

THE one feather in the Finnish presidency's cap was agreement on a law to combat accidental marine pollution in the EU. The framework sets out an action programme for curbing pollution at sea between 2001-06. In adopting their common position, ministers accepted an amendment from the European Parliament requiring countries to exchange information on dumped munitions.