Environment

A few weeks ago it looked as if Finland would be ending its EU presidency without keeping its headline environmental promise - a deal on REACH, the legislation to regulate chemicals.

As ministers and MEPs argued about exactly how hazardous a hazardous chemical is, the last meeting scheduled to strike a deal ended in something close to chaos.

Finland insisted that agreement was still possible and suddenly a midnight meeting found a compromise acceptable to all but the greenest of greens. Finland could congratulate itself on managing a deal on one of the most complicated and controversial items of legislation ever to emerge from Brussels.

The presidency was otherwise short of environmental breakthroughs. At the annual climate change talks in Nairobi last month, Finland’s ‘EU’ voice was drowned out by national ministers keen to win green points.

Proposals on renewable energy, biofuels and future climate change actions are not due until January, and will leave Germany to handle the high profile energy review.

But Finland ended its six months keeping a second promise it made last July. A meeting of environment ministers on Monday (18 December) reached political agreement on the EU environmental marine strategy. The Finns have some good news to take back home to a country with a 4,500 kilometre coastline.

A few weeks ago it looked as if Finland would be ending its EU presidency without keeping its headline environmental promise - a deal on REACH, the legislation to regulate chemicals.