Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken at the 39th session of the Executive Body under the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution

Summary:

Proposal presented on 23 October 2019 by the European Commission establishing the position to be taken on behalf of the Union regarding proposed amendments to the Air Convention Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone.

Further information:

The UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (the Air Convention), adopted in 1979, is the most advanced regional environmental agreement addressing clean air policy. Under the Convention, the Protocol to Abate Acidification, Eutrophication and Ground-level Ozone (the ‘Gothenburg Protocol’) was agreed in November 1999.

The Executive Body is the governing body of the Convention and is composed of representatives of Parties to the Convention. On 9-13 December 2019, during its 39th session, the Executive Body will discuss and potentially adopt amendments proposed by the USA in order to extend the possibility for countries in the Eastern European, Caucasus and Central Asian (EECCA) region to apply a flexible timescale for meeting certain obligations, to facilitate their ratification of the Gothenburg Protocol.