Top 5 Environment – All you need to know for the Italian EU Presidency
In this special briefing, leading environment journalist Sonja van Renssen picks out the top 5 environment issues that will be discussed by the EU institutions under the Italian Presidency.
- A first priority is the circular or zero waste economy, after the European Commission unveiled a new policy package on 1 July that pushes for higher recycling targets and the total elimination of landfill
- Green growth and jobs will be high on the agenda too as Italy tries to get environmental policies working towards European competitiveness
- The outlines of a climate & energy policy for 2030 are expected to be agreed by European leaders in October 2014
- Italy will seek to make progress on reforming the EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) by advancing talks on creating a “market stability reserve”
- The Italian EU presidency also plans to pick up the dossier of air quality and to broker agreement amongst a majority of member states on a new directive to control emissions from medium-sized combustion plants
In addition, we can expect progress on biofuels and indirect land-use change (ILUC), plus discussions on the fuel quality directive and oil sands, truck CO2 emissions and GMOs. Other subjects, such as access to environmental justice, environmental inspections and measures on endocrine disruptors are still struggling to get off the ground.