Memo: Preparation Environment Council, 3 March 2008

The first Environment Council under the Slovenian presidency will take place in Brussels on 3 March 2008. Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas will represent the European Commission. The Council will hold policy debates on the Climate Action and Renewable Energy (CARE) package presented by the Commission in January and the proposed Regulation to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars. It is also expected to adopt a set of conclusions as input to the Spring European Council on 13-14 March, as well as separate conclusions setting out the European Union's position for meetings of the UN Biodiversity Convention and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in May. The links between the CARE package and the negotiations on a global climate agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol will be the subject of discussions over lunch with the participation of the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Yvo de Boer.