Memo: Preparation Environment Council, 9 March 2012

The first Environment Council under the Danish Presidency will be held on 9 March in Brussels.

Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik, Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard and Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy John Dalli will represent the European Commission. The Council is expected to adopt conclusions on three issues: the roadmap for moving to a low-carbon economy, the follow-up to the Durban climate conference, and the EU negotiating position for the UN Rio+20 conference on sustainable development to be held in Brazil in June. The legislative deliberations will include an attempt to reach a political agreement on the proposed Regulation that would allow Member States to restrict or prohibit the cultivation of GMOs in their territory.

An orientation debate will also be held on the political direction to be taken as regards the Proposal for a new Regulation on LIFE, the funding instrument for Climate Action and Environment. Among the Any Other Business (AOB) points, the Commission and the Presidency will present ideas about how to take forward resource efficiency and low-carbon considerations within the European Semester/Annual Growth Survey in the wake of the March European Council.