Environment Council: Agenda

Thursday 5th March 2015 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Dan Rogerson)]

My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Baroness Verma, and I will attend the EU Environment Council in Brussels on 6 March.

Following the adoption of the agenda the list of “A” items will be approved.

There will be four non-legislative items for an exchange of views. These are Greening the European Semester Communication from the Commission, annual growth survey 2015; the global post-2015 agenda—taking stock of negotiations; and the Energy Union. The remaining non-legislative item is the road to the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties in Paris. This item will be for exchange of views on the submission of the EU and member states. It will be followed by adoption of the submission of EU and member states intended national determined contribution (INDC).

Over the lunch Ministers will be invited to discuss the findings of the state of the environment (SOER) report, following a presentation by the European Environment Agency.

There is a series of AOB items covering:

a global phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal protocol;

soil sealing; and

second ministerial conference on environment and renewable energies of the western mediterranean dialogue.

[HCWS346]