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June Environment Council

My Hon Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment (David Rutley) has today made the following statement.

The next EU Environment Council will take place on 25 June in Luxembourg. My Noble Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity (Lord Gardiner of Kimble), intends to represent the UK. Welsh Environment Minister Hannah Blythyn AM will also attend.

As the provisional agenda stands, the primary focus for environment will be a policy debate on the recast of the Drinking Water Directive.

Council will adopt the conclusions for delivering on the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy. There will also be a lunchtime discussion concerning climate adaptation in the EU to 2020 and beyond.

On climate, there will be a policy debate on the regulation of CO2 standards for cars and vans.

Any other business will include information from the Commission on the following legislative proposals:

- Regulation on CO2 standards for heavy duty vehicles;

- Regulation on LIFE;

- Regulation on water re-use;

- Regulation on single use plastics;

- Regulation on the alignment of environmental reporting obligations.

The Commission will then report on the following international meetings:

- EU for Talanoa (Brussels, 13 June 2018)

- Ninth Petersberg Climate Dialogue (Berlin 17-19 June 2018)

- Ministerial on Climate Action (MoCA) (Brussels 20-21 June 2018)

There are currently three member state led AOBs:

- Beyond 2020 – a new global deal on chemicals and waste (tabled by Sweden)

- Paris Agreement compliance as an essential element of EU agreements, and enforceability of sustainable development provisions of trade agreements through the dispute settlement resolution (tabled by France)

- Obtaining ambitious results at Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP 15 in 2020 (tabled by France)