---

Environment Council

I and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change represented the UK at the Environment Council in Luxembourg on 20 October 2008. At this Council, member states set out their positions on the 2020 climate and energy package. The UK intervened to highlight the importance of reaching agreement by the end of 2008 to send a strong signal in support of a new international climate change deal. The UK broadly agreed that qualitative and quantitative criteria for carbon leakage should be included in the directive, and argued in favour of full auctioning in the power sector from 2013. The UK emphasised that it could not accept mandatory earmarking of auction revenues—hypothecation. The UK spoke strongly in favour of using the New Entrant Reserve (NER) to finance Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) demonstration projects. The UK signalled that we will do our fair share of the emission reductions under the greenhouse gas effort sharing proposal, but these targets should be met cost-effectively. Finally, the UK and many others emphasised the importance of coherent sustainability criteria for biofuels. Ministers adopted Council conclusions on preparations for 14th Conference of the Parties (COP 14) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the fourth meeting of the parties to the Kyoto protocol (CMP 4) to be held in Poznan from 1 to 12 December 2008. The conclusions emphasise the EU's ambitions for Copenhagen and Poznan, and outline a shared vision, addressing mitigation action in developed and developing countries, adaptation, technology and funding and investment. On the European Commission's proposal for a regulation to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars, the UK intervened to stressed the importance of getting agreement and of an ambitious long-term target. Ministers shared views on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The UK said there were two key responsibilities for Governments: deciding whether GMOs were safe to eat, and determining what the environmental impact of growing them would be. The UK emphasised that it was important to have efficient and effective evidence-based decision-making and to avoid further delays to the approvals process. Finally, the UK pressed the European Commission to propose seed labelling thresholds. Ministers held a public debate on trade in seal products. The UK welcomed the proposal and urged swift adoption to respond to strong public concerns over inhumane hunting methods. The UK believed derogations would make enforcement difficult and could create loopholes. We preferred a complete ban. Ministers adopted the annex to the Euro-Mediterranean declaration on water—the 'Barcelona process'. Discussion of Council conclusions on the sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and sustainable industrial policy (SIP) action plan was postponed until Environment Council on 4 and 5 December 2008. Under 'any other business', the presidency provided information on: the common agriculture policy (CAP) health check; the EU-Africa climate meeting due to be held in Algiers on 20 November 2008; the Réunion Conference on Europe's overseas areas faced with climate change and loss of biodiversity; GMES (global monitoring for environment and security) services; and a proposal for a soils directive. Under 'any other business', the presidency and the European Commission also presented information on proposals for: substances that deplete the ozone layer; industrial emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control); the outcome of the Conference on soil and climate change held in Brussels on 12 June this year, and; a Commission communication and legislative proposal to prevent marketing in the EU of unlawfully harvested timber and timber products.