The minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change, Ioannis Maniatis, presented the priorities of the upcoming Greek Presidency in the field of Environment and Climate Change, at the EU Environment  Council held in Brussels on 13 December 2013 .

 

Minister Maniatis primarily referred to the horizontal thematic priority of the  Greek Presidency, which concerns the Maritime Policy of the EU. According to Maniatis, the Greek Presidency aims at redesigning the EU Maritime Policy in view of the European Council in June 2014, so that, apart from  the developmental aspect, issues such as the environment, security, energy, transport, tourism and the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and the Ionian Seas be included.

 

As far as the Environment and Climate Change are concerned, the minister announced that the basic Presidency objectives are:

 

Reaching at an agreement with the European Parliament on the proposal on aviation backloading and the proposal on waste transport.

The promotion and thorough consideration of issues arising from the “Energy-Climate in the framework of 2030" package, which entails extremely important decisions on the future of European Union in the fields of energy and climate change. This is expected to be discussed in the European Council in late March 2014.

 

Minister Maniatis also noted that efforts will be made to promote two important Regulations, i.e. the proposal for alien invasive species and the proposal for shipping emissions monitoring. In addition, efforts will be made in order to significantly advance:

 

the proposals on the ratification of the second period of the Kyoto Protocol,

the package of proposals on air quality (it will be presented in late December 2013),

the proposal on plastic bags.

 

As for the non- legislative matters, Maniatis noted:

 

- the contribution of the Environment Council in the process of European Semester, that will be discussed at the Council in March,

 

- the Council Conclusions on Biodiversity (COP-12) in Korea, that will be adopted in the Council in June 2014,

 

- the European Union's coordination on sustainable development after 2015 (post 2015) and the preparation of EU positions about the United Nations’ first session for the Environment, in Nairobi in June 2014,

 

- the preparation of joint European positions for all international environmental obligations, such as the Convention of Aarhus, ESPOO, etc.

 

In the field of Climate Change, Maniatis said that Greek Presidency will give further prominence to the maturation of EU positions, in view of the intensification of international negotiations that will be held in Bonn in June, for the COP-20 in Lima at the end of 2014, in order for a global agreement to be prepared properly in the wider context of the United Nations - in Paris in 2015.

 

Mr. Maniatis informed his colleagues that the Environment Council will meet twice during the Greek Presidency, on 3 March, in Brussels, and on 14 June, in Luxembourg, adding that on 3 March 3 the European Commission and the Greek Presidency will also organize, in Brussels, a conference on Maritime Environment.

 

Concluding, minister Maniatis referred to the process that will take place on May 14-15 2014, during the Informal Environment Council, in which 'Blue Growth' will be the main subject on the agenda. Minister Maniatis believes that there will be particular reference to issues of integrated and sustainable development aiming at creating new jobs, through balanced management and development of coastal areas. "A long-term approach towards co-existence of tourism and shipping industries, protection of maritime biodiversity, fishery, exploitation of mineral resources and development of renewable energy is needed; for the long-term coexistence of man with his own nature", the minister said.