PRESS RELEASE

Subject :

The Governments of the Member States and the European Commission were represented as follows:

The Council, having solved the last outstanding issues, reached political agreement, by qualified majority with the abstention of the German delegation, on a common position concerning the proposal for an amendment to Directive 97/24/EC on certain components and characteristics of two or three-wheel motor vehicles. The text of the common position provides for the introduction of tighter emission limits from 2003 for new types of motorcycles. The common position will be formally adopted, without discussion, at a future Council meeting once the text has undergone legal and linguistic finalisation, before being transmitted to the European Parliament for a second reading.

The proposed Directive is a direct result of studies carried out under the Auto-Oil II Programme to identify cost-effective measures for reducing emissions from two- and three-wheel motor vehicles. Motorcycles were not covered by the scope of the first Auto-Oil Programme and their share in the total emissions produced by all vehicles is set to increase rapidly.

The common position foresees that from 2003 Member States should refuse to grant type-approval to new types of motorcycles that do not meet exhaust fume limits for carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Limits depend on engine size and are less severe for tricycles and quadricycles. The new tightened limit values correspond to a reduction of 60% for hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide for four-stroke motorcycles, and 70% for hydrocarbons and 30% for carbon monoxide for two-stroke motorcycles.

A second stage is envisaged for 2006 pending the results of on-going efforts to develop a new dedicated test cycle which the Commission intends to present before the end of 2002. New mandatory emission limits to be applied from 2006 will be based on the new test cycle.

The common position also gives Member States the possibility to offer tax incentives to vehicles that comply with the new mandatory limit values in advance of the application date (2003), as well as to vehicles that comply with the stricter permissive limit values laid down for this purpose in the common position.

The Council held an orientation debate on the 6^th Environmental Action Programme transmitted live by TV to the press and interested public. The Commission proposal on a new Action Programme sets the environmental priorities for the Community for the next ten years (2001-2010).

The issues addressed by the Ministers in this first debate focused on the choice of priority areas, the setting of objectives and targets, the need for timetables and for indicators to monitor progress, the instruments for implementing the programme, the link with the Community's (Cardiff) process of integrating environmental concerns into other policies and the relationship with the strategy on sustainable development to be adopted at the Gothenburg European Council in June 2001.

The President concluded the debate by summarising the main points. According to the President, there was in particular:

The Council invited the Permanent Representatives Committee to continue the examination of the proposal in the light of the discussions and of the on-going work in the other Institutions with a view to reaching a political agreement at the June session, thus enabling a concrete input to the Gothenburg summit.

The Commission proposal for the 6^th Environmental Action Programme outlines the priorities for action for the next ten years, a mid-term review is foreseen in 2005. It builds on the achievements of the 5^th Action programme (1992-1999) and will be at the basis of the "environment" pillar of the EU strategy on sustainable development to be adopted in Gothenburg.

The Commission proposes four priority areas for action: climate change, nature and bio-diversity, environment and health and sustainable use of natural resources and waste. For each of the four priority areas, objectives and priority actions are defined.

The Programme aims at facilitating the integration of environmental concerns into other Community policies and at influencing the state and trends of the environment introducing changes in production and consumption patterns. New ways of working with stakeholders, empowering citizens and encouraging better land use planning and management decisions are incorporated in a strategic approach where the correct implementation of existing legislation is also seen as particularly important.

The Council was informed by the Presidency on the progress made by the nine sectoral Council formations (Transport, Energy, Industry, Agriculture, Internal Market, Ecofin, Development, Fisheries, General Affairs) which were requested to develop for the European Council of Gothenburg in June 2001 strategies on ways to integrate the environmental dimension into their policies.

The basis for the "integration policy" lies in the EC Treaty, which requires that environmental protection must be integrated into sectoral policies with a view to promoting sustainable development. The European Council of Cardiff in 1998 and the subsequent European Council meetings encouraged the relevant formations of the Council to establish, by June 2001, comprehensive strategies with timetables and indicators. The aim is also to enable the Community and the Member States to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change before 2002.

Furthermore, the Council was informed by the Presidency on the preparations for the strategy for sustainable development which should be adopted at the Gothenburg European Council in June. The strategy for sustainable development is aimed at reconciling ecology, social progress and economic development. The "integration policy" should constitute one of the pillars of this strategy. In a global context, the strategy is also intended to provide an input into the preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 in Johannesburg (Rio+10). The Commission briefed the Council about the state of preparation of the document it will present at the end of March and which will provide elements for the sustainable development strategy and should serve as a basis for consultation in the run-up to Gothenburg.

The Council,

2. Welcomes that this event will be held at the highest political level;

The Council heard a presentation by Commissioner WALLSTRÖM on the White Paper on the "Strategy for a future chemical policy" adopted by the Commission on 13 February 2001 as a follow-up to the Council conclusions of 24 June 1999. The Council subsequently held a policy debate addressing the scope of the strategy, the question of the responsibility for risk assessment and evaluation of chemical substances as well as issues linked to the administration of the proposed REACH system and the resources to be made available for its management.

Member States were generally satisfied with the new system proposed by the Commission. They stressed the importance of the precautionary and substitution principles being adequately taken into account. A number of delegations raised the need to address the issue of sanctions for failure to comply with the requirements for registration and testing of chemical substances. Several Member States also stated that more risk assessment should not entail an increase in animal testing. Some pointed out that in their view not all the dangerous substances were covered and mentioned, in particular, persistent bio-accumulative substances such as PBT. Certain Member States also noted that chemical substances should not be prioritised by production volume alone, but also on the basis of risk. Concerning the issue of responsibility, Member States agreed with the responsibility for data collection and risk assessment being placed on producers and importers.

The President concluded that the debate had proven to be very constructive, that the Commission White Paper was seen as an excellent basis for the development of the new system, but that, however, some concerns had also been expressed. He indicated that conclusions on the matter were foreseen for the June session of the Environment Council, following a more thorough examination of the White Paper.

The Council held talks in order to prepare its strategy in view of a resumed session of COP-6 in July 2001 in Bonn (Sixth Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change suspended in The Hague in November 2000) and the ratification by the EU of the Kyoto Protocol. The Council also adopted the following conclusions:

The Council heard a presentation from Commissioner WALLSTRÖM on the Green Paper on Integrated Product Policy (IPP) which was adopted by the Commission on 7 February 2001.

The Green Paper intends to promote the development of a market for greener products and proposes a strategy to strengthen and refocus existing product-related environmental policies. The objective is to improve the environmental performance of products throughout their life cycle. Products in the future should use fewer resources, have reduced negative impacts on the environment and prevent waste generation already at the stage of their conception. Integrated product policy has also been singled out as one of the major innovative elements of the 6^th Environmental Action Programme.

The Green Paper intends to launch a broad public debate on the proposed strategy and its elements, the prospects opened up for stakeholders and governments and on the practical means for implementing and promoting it. The Commission has scheduled extensive consultations during the first half of 2001 and the issuing of a White Paper is foreseen for late 2001.

The Council addressed the issue of the development of a new Community Bathing Water Policy with a view to revising the existing Bathing Water Directive, as outlined in the Commission's Communication of 12 January 2001. The Council adopted the following conclusions:

"The Council welcomes a review of the Bathing Water Directive. Without prejudging the outcome of the consultation process with Member States and other stakeholders foreseen in the communication, the Council feels that the Commission should consider the following issues when preparing its proposal for a revised Directive, which should be presented as soon as possible after a cost/benefit study has been carried out and a sound scientific basis for the proposal has been established:

The Council heard a presentation by Commissioner WALLSTRÖM on the state of preparation of the Commission's planned proposal on traceability and labelling of GMOs and products derived therefrom. The Commissioner explained the reasons for the delay, pointing out that some issues remained to be solved in order to ensure that the proposal will be effective, without entailing an excessive burden on operators. The Commissioner expressed the hope that the adoption could still take place in March. The Council encouraged the Commission to pursue its work on the proposal as it is seen by the Council as a very important complement to the recently adopted Directive on the deliberate release of GMOs into the environment (replacing Directive 90/220).

The Council took note of a Presidency report on the state of play of the following proposals currently under examination by the Council :

The Council adopted the conclusions reproduced below in view of the Diplomatic Conference, taking place in Stockholm on 21-23 May 2001, where the new POPs Convention, which was successfully concluded in Johannesburg in December 2000, will be adopted and signed.

"The Council

4-9 December 2000;

Following political agreement reached at the Environment Council of 10 October 2000, the Council formally adopted a common position on the proposal for a Directive relating to ozone in ambient air. The common position will now be forwarded to the European Parliament for its second reading in the framework of the co-decision procedure.

The proposal concerns the concentration of ozone in the air and the provision of adequate information to the public about such concentrations. Together with the proposed Directives on national emission ceilings and large combustion plants, which are currently at second reading before the European Parliament, this proposal forms a package of measures designed to ensure better air quality in line with the framework Directive 96/62/EC on air quality.

The proposed Directive will mark a significant improvement in the management of the problem of ozone in ambient air, compared with the current situation. It will establish an information threshold, an alert threshold (higher than the information threshold), target values and long-term objectives in order to avoid, prevent or reduce the harmful effects of ozone for human health and for the environment. As far as possible, Member States should achieve the target values set in the Directive for ozone concentrations in ambient air by 2010. The ultimate goal is no longer to exceed those values in order to avoid harmful effects on human health and the environment. (Further details can be found in Press Release 12119/00 Presse 372).

The Council adopted a Decision supplementing Directive 90/219/EEC on the contained use of genetically modified micro-organisms as regards the criteria for establishing the safety, for human health and the environment, of types of genetically modified micro-organisms (GMMs). The Decision replaces Part B of Annex II of Directive 90/219/EEC. Part B describes the general and specific criteria to be met when establishing the safety of types of GMMs for human health and the environment. The Decision to establish these criteria was provided for in Directive 98/81/EC which amended Directive 90/219/EEC.

Types of genetically modified micro-organisms which meet these criteria can be added through the comitology procedure to Part C of Annex II of the Directive. Part C lists the GMMs which are excluded from the scope of the Directive. GMMs will be added to the list on a case-by-case basis and exclusion will relate only to each clearly identified GMM. This exclusion applies only when the GMM is used under conditions of contained use. It does not apply to the deliberate release of GMMs. For a GMM to be listed in Part C, it must be proved that it meets the criteria in Part B.

The Council adopted the Decision approving the conclusion by the Commission of the Agreement for cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy between the European Atomic Energy Community represented by the Commission and the department of Energy of the USA in the field of fusion energy research and development. This Agreement provides for cooperation in nuclear research and development, including research on controlled thermonuclear fusion.

The Council adopted a Decision on the principles, priorities, intermediate objectives and conditions contained in the Accession Partnership with the Republic of Turkey.

It is recalled that the Helsinki European Council stated: "Turkey is a candidate State destined to join the Union on the basis of the same criteria as applied to the other candidate States. Building on the existing European strategy, Turkey, like other candidate States, will benefit from a pre-accession strategy to stimulate and support its reforms." As a key feature of such a strategy, an Accession Partnership will be drawn up on the basis of previous European Council conclusions.

The present Decision, taken in view of the political agreement reached by the General Affairs Council at its meeting on 4 December 2000, sets out the principles, priorities, intermediate objectives and conditions contained in the individual Accession Partnership, as it will be submitted to Turkey, as well as on subsequent significant adjustments applicable to it.

The purpose of the Accession Partnership is to set out in a single framework the priority areas for further work identified in the Commission's 2000 Regular Report on the progress made by Turkey towards membership of the European Union, the financial means available to help Turkey implement these priorities and the conditions which will apply to that assistance. This Accession Partnership provides the basis for a number of policy instruments, which will be used to help the candidate States in their preparations for membership. It is expected that Turkey on the basis of this Accession Partnership adopts before the end of the year a National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis. This is not an integral part of this Partnership but the priorities it contains should be compatible with it.

The Council approved the reply to the confirmatory application made by Ms Leticia JUNQUERA LARA, the Danish, Finnish and Swedish delegations voting against.

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