Vatican platform showcases EU shared commitment to the Environment - Main contents

(16 September) Today marks an important moment for European environmental policy. Environment Ministers of the EU Member States, my colleague, EU Climate Action Commissioner, Miguel Arias Cañete and myself, have travelled to the Vatican to meet with His Holiness Pope Francis.

This is an opportunity to showcase our collective European leadership in tackling Climate Change and promoting Sustainable Development. It is also an opportunity to thank his Holiness for prioritising these issues in the Papal Encyclical "Laudato si - on care for our common home".

As the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has said, "we have great hope that 'Laudato si' will serve as a wake-up call and encourage people to address our common future". We are already seeing evidence that this is true. The text speaks of the natural environment being "a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone". A theme that is present throughout is that environmental challenges go together with social and human issues.

This environmental and social link is reinforced by recent evidence of Climate Change refugees. Growing numbers are forced to leave their homes and even migrate from their regions, due to the effects of Climate Change. A recent study on land degradation, supported by the Commission, showed that one third of Africa is suffering from drought.

'Laudato Si' was referred to often in the final discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals. Next week, in New York, we will see the adoption of these goals. I speak for many when I say that the Encyclical was a significant factor in the final push for agreement.

No doubt this influence will be repeated in the discussions ahead of the COP21, the Paris Climate Conference, at the beginning of December.

Today's Holy See gathering of those responsible for Environmental policy, and Climate Change, in each Member State, and for the European Union as a whole, is a collective sign of commitment. It is a real example of the European Union working together on those areas that cry out for coordinated action.

The platform provided by Pope Francis allows us to highlight a positive story of European Union coordination.

From pollution to air quality, from access to water to protecting and promoting biodiversity and the importance to move towards a circular economy, the European Union is pursuing an agenda that is good for its citizens and good for the environment.

Millions of people suffer from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases due to air pollution which constraints their normal daily activities. Air pollution continues to cause around 400 000 premature deaths in the EU each year and around 3.7 million worldwide. If we don't take measures, outdoor air pollution is projected to become the top cause of environmentally related deaths worldwide in 2050. A Clean Air Package that is to reduce health impacts in the EU by more than half is therefore one of the main initiatives that is on our shared agenda in the EU.

To move away from the "throw-away culture", the EU wants to transform itself into a Circular Economy. At the end of 2015, the European Commission will publish a package of measures to promote a "circular model of producing", reducing waste and enhancing recycling. We want to show our support for consumption models that favour "sharing" over "owning". Such efforts will help reduce and eventually reverse the excessive pressure on our planet's natural resources.

On nature, the EU takes its role as a protector seriously. In fact it is a global leader. Over the last 25 years the EU has built up a vast network of protected areas, Natura 2000, amounting to 18% of the EU’s land area. The EU is committed to halting biodiversity loss within the EU by 2020 and the EU's Birds and Habitats Directives, which are the core of the EU nature legislation, have been instrumental in preserving species and protecting habitats.

We are steadily developing our response to the problem of Illegal Wildlife trafficking. The EU has this year signed up to CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). This is the latest step in our long history of commitment on this issue.

I would like to thank His Holiness for this opportunity to discuss these vital issues. We must use this strengthening momentum to build towards the best possible result in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and in the Climate negotiations in December.

This article was originally published in Avvenire on 16 September here