PRESS RELEASE

Good on climate, bad on Waste: The German Presidency

EEB assesses the achievements of Germany's six-month EU Presidency

(Brussels, 29 June 2007) - "Germany's Presidency will be remembered for its two European Council meetings, creating breakthroughs on Climate and Energy, and on the Treaty reform., It also worked hard on a number of specific environmental agenda, and promoted a positive spirit for ecological industrial innovation. However the concrete work on waste, on soil and agriculture, and its attitude in the CO2 and cars debate we do not regard positive", said John Hontelez, Secretary General of the European Environmental Bureau, Europe's largest federation of environmental citizens' organisations.

As usual, the EEB produced an assessment of the outgoing Presidency, based on the Ten Tests it put before the German government when it took over from Finland on the 1st of January. The assessment clearly scores positive on climate, even though the EEB, like many other environmental organizations, does not regard a unilateral 20% greenhouse gas reduction target for the EU by 2020 as sufficient. Under the same heading the 10% biofuels target is rejected by the EEB.
The EEB is also positive with regards to the review of EU's environmental policies, made at the Environmental Council yesterday, linked to the Sixth Environmental Action Programme, it applauded the concrete and productive discussion on ecological industrial innovation, and is positive also about the role of the EU in the UNEP negotiations on a global policy on mercury.

The EEB has major concerns over the outcomes of yesterday's  Council on the future of EU waste policies, as well as the reluctance to work on the proposed soil protection directive and the GMO limits in organic food. The EEB also  considers the German government as having a strong responsibility for the decision of the Commission not to stick with the 120 g/km average CO2 emissions limit for new cars from 2012.

While the EEB had not dealt with the Reform Treaty in its Ten Tests, it commends the German Presidency for a result that leaves the positive elements for environment and democracy and transparency from the Constitutional Treaty untouched.

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EEB's Assessment of the German Presidency, also attached.

John Hontelez, Secretary General, European Environmental Bureau: hontelez@eeb.org; Mobile: +32 (0)486 51 21 27