In this special briefing, leading environment journalist Sonja van Renssen identifies the top 5 environment issues that will be discussed by the European institutions under the Latvian EU Presidency.
- Latvia’s number one priority in the area of climate policy is finalising a market stability reserve for the EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS)
- The European Commission will launch a debate on decarbonising transport as it is the glaring gap in the 2030 climate and energy policy. Moreover, biofuels and ILUC will be climbing back up the agenda again.
- Important legislative item on the agenda is air quality. More specifically Latvia will seek to broker a deal to reduce pollution from medium-sized combustion plants.
- The European Commission’s Circular Economy Package is on hold – if MEPs and Member States sanction its withdrawal, what will replace it?
- Nanomaterials are coming onto the agenda, with the Commission set to propose how to account for them under REACH
In this special briefing, leading energy journalist Hughes Belin picks out the top 5 energy issues that will be discussed by the European institutions under the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union:
- Energy union is among the top priorities of the Latvian EU Presidency, with a high level ministerial conference on 6 February in Riga
- The internal energy market has not met its 2014 deadline, however the European Commission is working hard to achieve it
- European energy security remains a top priority for EU leaders, the Commission is focusing on South-East Europe
- New governance structure that will underpin the indicative 2030 target for renewables will be discussed by EU Energy Ministers on 15 and 16 April
- International dimension: Latvia aims to explore modernisation of several multilateral cooperation fora and will hold an Eastern Partnership Summit on 21 & 22 May
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