Media advisory - Environment Council, 20 December 2021

Source: Council of the European Union (Council) i, published on Monday, December 20 2021.

Indicative programme

All times are approximate and subject to change

Chair Andrej Vizjak, Minister for the Environment and Spatial Planning for Slovenia

+/- 08.30 Arrivals (live streaming).

+/- 08.45 Doorstep by minister Vizjak

9.30 Beginning of the Council meeting

Adoption of the agenda

Approval of non-legislative "A" items

09.40 Approval of legislative "A" items (Public session)

09.45 Fit for 55 package (Public session)

  • - 
    Overview of progress
  • - 
    Legislative proposals
  • - 
    Revision of Directive (EU) 2003/87/EC establishing a system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading (ETS)
  • - 
    Revision of Regulation (EU) 2018/842 on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 (ESR)
  • - 
    Revision of Regulation (EU) 2018/841 on greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF)
  • - 
    Revision of Regulation (EU) 2019/631 setting CO2 emission performance standards for new passenger cars and for new light commercial vehicles
  • - 
    Regulation establishing a Social Climate Fund

11.45 Any other business (Public session)

  • - 
    The Mobility package in the context of European Green Deal ambitions

Reports on main recent international meetings

  • - 
    26th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) (Glasgow, 31 October - 12 November 2021)

12.15 Regulation concerning batteries and waste batteries, repealing Directive 2006/66/EC and amending Regulation (EU) No 2019/1020 (Public session)

13.30 Lunch: Informal discussion on the preparations for UNEA-5.2 (with Commissioner Sinkevičius, Ms Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP and Mr Espen Barth Eide, President of UNEA-5 and NOR Minister of Climate and Environment)

15.00 Communication on the EU Soil Strategy for 2030 - Reaping the benefits of healthy soils for people, food, nature and climate (Public session)

16.30 Any other business (Public session)

  • - 
    Third Clean Air Forum (Madrid, 18-19 November 2021)

Current legislative proposals:

  • - 
    Proposal for a Regulation on minimizing the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with products placed on the EU market
  • - 
    Proposal for a Regulation on shipments of waste
  • - 
    Implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030

(continuation) Reports on main recent international meetings

  • - 
    15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 15.1) (Kunming (hybrid), 11 - 15 October 2021)

Aarhus Convention and PRTR Protocol:

  • - 
    Seventh session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention (MoP 7)

-Joint High-level Segment under the Meetings of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention and its Protocol on PRTRs

  • - 
    Fourth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on PRTRs (MoPP 4) (Geneva (hybrid) 18 - 22 October 2021)
  • - 
    22nd Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols (Antalya, 7 - 10 December 2021)
  • - 
    Informal Meeting of Ministers responsible for Urban Matters - the role of European cities in the green transition and in achieving objectives the of the Green Deal (virtual, 26 November 2021)
  • - 
    Workshop on the reform of REACH Authorisation and Restriction (Brdo, 9 November 2021)
  • - 
    Regulation of plants obtained by new genomic techniques - need for coordinated action
  • - 
    Work programme of the incoming Presidency (not in public session)

At the end of the meeting (+/- 18.30) press conference in live streaming.

Arrangements for the press conferences

Press conferences will take place in a hybrid format: EU accredited journalists will be able to participate and ask questions either remotely or in person at the Justus Lipsius press room.

If you hadn't registered for previous Environment Council press events, please use this link to do so and have the possibility to ask questions remotely.

Deadline for registration: Monday, 20 December 2021, 17.30

Those who already registered for previous press briefings or press conferences of Environment Council do not need to do it again.

Further instructions will be sent to all registered participants shortly after the deadline.

Videos and photos from the event

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