ENV - NEWS

The World Environment Day on 5 June 2021 saw the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The scientists identified 2030 as the timeline for humanity’s last chance to counter ‘triple environmental emergency’ of biodiversity loss, climate disruption and pollution’. UNEP’s report ‘Becoming #GenerationRestoration: Ecosystem Restoration for People, Nature and Climate was also released on the day. It urges countries to deliver on their existing commitments to restore one billion hectares of degraded land and make similar commitments for marine and coastal areas.

The EU supports the introduction of the ‘national commitments’ concept in efforts to strengthen the mechanisms for monitoring and review of the future-post-2020 global biodiversity framework. On resource mobilization, the EU advocates for a broad approach, i.e. mobilizing public and private finance, phasing out harmful subsidies and seeking better synergies with the climate finance. There is, however, a divide between the developed and developing countries with the latter calling for increased ODA and referring to ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’.

The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 contains over 100 actions to be implemented by 2030 by EU to halt and reverse the dramatic loss of biodiversity. 2021 will be a key year in implementing the Strategy, with over 40 deliverables including some key policy initiatives such as action plans and strategies on pollution, organic farming, forests, soils, fisheries resources and marine ecosystems, a new law on nature restoration, a new initiative on deforestation, and adoption of a new, ambitious Global Biodiversity Framework.

In line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the Commission is committed to better assess the impact of EU free trade agreements (FTAs) on biodiversity and ecosystems, such as forests and wetlands. The new methodology will contribute to further improve the sustainability impact assessments and ex-post evaluations of EU FTAs. It will also support the objectives of the European Green Deal. It is now being tested in the context of the ex-post evaluation of the EU-Colombia/Ecuador/Peru trade agreement.

The EU is determined to intensify measures to tackle the global problem of deforestation and forest degradation and relevant commitments are included in the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. Acting on these commitments, the Commission is now working on the new legislation to reduce the impact of EU consumption on deforestation and forest degradation. The proposal is expected in autumn with the two-fold objective: boost the consumption of sustainably produced commodities by promoting transparent and deforestation-free global supply chains and prevent the placement of products and commodities that may be associated with deforestation on the EU market.

In line with the commitment in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the Commission is working on a proposal for the new measures to tighten the rules on ivory trade in the EU. The draft measures were published in January 2021 and the final proposal is now under examination by the EU Member States Committee on Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora. The proposal was subject to public consultation and attracted over 90,000 responses. The proposal is now under examination by the Committee on Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora.

In April 2021, the EP Committee on International Trade (INTA) adopted an opinion on the trade aspects of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The opinion highlights that unsustainable trade - bilateral or multilateral - contributes to the drastic biodiversity loss, in particular with regard to trade in wildlife and certain agricultural commodities. It further calls on the EU to use its position as a major global player to set the benchmark on standards for sustainable food systems, environmental protection and animal welfare. The opinion recommends to the Commission to focus on a ‘process and production method’ (PPM) approach when drawing up measures to fight biodiversity loss, rather than focusing on the product itself, in line with the WTO rules. It also takes a stand on phasing out fossil fuels subsidies urgently and calls on the Commission to explore a white list of endangered species to combat illegal trade.

A study into the impact of EU policies and actions on the Arctic has just been released with the results presented in an online seminar on 17 June. By examining its own impact, both positive and negative, the EU demonstrated that it is a responsible and open Arctic actor. The study covered EU actions that directly target the Arctic, e.g. research projects, as well as EU actions that are not specifically targeting the Arctic but have a significant impact on the region, e.g. reducing air pollution. This study will contribute to the EU’s updated Arctic Strategy, which is now work in progress.

The Align project (Aligning accounting approaches for nature) – funded by the European Commission - will support businesses, financial institutions and other stakeholders in developing standardised natural capital accounting practices, including a standardised approach to biodiversity measurement. Seeking to engage relevant business stakeholders directly, the project will be implemented by a group of partners including UNEP, the World Conservation Monitoring Centre; ; the Capitals Coalition; Arcadis and ICF.

A beginner's guide on business and biodiversity for business. This report outlines the major risks that biodiversity loss poses for businesses and presents a guide on the opportunities for businesses that aspire to become biodiversity-positive.

In response to the global problem of marine litter and plastic pollution, which is projected to triple by 2040, the Governments of Ecuador, Germany, Ghana and Vietnam will jointly organize a Ministerial Conference on Marine Litter and Plastic Pollution, most likely on 1 Sep 2021. The objective is to adopt an ambitious Ministerial Declaration paving the way for the UNEA5 to adopt a negotiating mandate for a global plastics agreement in Feb 2022. The first pre-meeting to the Ministerial Conference on 27-28 May with more 500 participants including governments, NGO’s, industry showed broad support for launching the negotiations for a legally binding global agreement for plastics through a circular economy/life cycle approach. DG ENV is now working with the EEAS to prepare a targeted outreach in run up to UNEA 5.2. with the primary focus on like-minded (signatories to New York declaration) and open-minded countries (e.g. Indonesia, India, Malaysia, South Africa).

The EU, teaming up with the United Nations Environment Programme, and in coordination with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, launched the Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE). The Alliance is one of the deliverables of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan. Alongside the EU, fourteen countries (Canada, Chile, Colombia, Japan, India, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda, Morocco, South Africa and South Korea) have already joined the Alliance. A number of other countries are also considering their membership including Switzerland, Mexico, and Singapore. The second working meeting took place on 1 Jun 2021.

According to the 2019 EU rules on single-use plastics, by 3 July 2021, Member States have to ensure that certain single-use plastic products – e.g. cotton bud sticks, cutlery, plates and straws etc. - are no longer placed on the EU market. For other plastic products, e.g. fishing gear, single use plastic bags, bottles, tobacco filters and sanitary items – their use has to be reduced and littering prevented through labelling requirements, extended producer responsibility schemes (“polluter pays principle”), awareness campaigns and product design requirements. The adopted Guidelines primarily elaborate on the definition of single use plastics and fishing gear. The biodegradable plastics and paper-based products with plastic coating or lining are regarded as plastics and cannot be used as alternatives to single use plastics.

The report provides a general overview of the state of play of circular economy at a continental level as well as in the eight case study countries, including Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa. It also provides recommendations on how to enhance EU-Africa cooperation towards a faster transition to a circular economy with the focus on specific sectors.

The report investigates the interlinkages between the circular economy and trade and explores how to make them mutually supportive at a policy level. It focuses on the multilateral trade regime and regional trade agreements as well as on the specific trade-linked policies to promote the circular economy, such as extended producer responsibility and product stewardship schemes, taxes and subsidies, green public procurement, environmental labelling schemes and standards.

The plan is a key deliverable of the European Green Deal and sets out an overarching, integrated vision for achieving by 2050: a world where pollution is reduced to levels that are no longer harmful to human health and natural ecosystems, whilst respecting our planetary boundaries. In addition, as pollution does not stop at borders and as the EU acknowledges that it is both the victim and the source of pollution, the Action Plan foresees reinforced external efforts. These inter alia include transboundary water cooperation; restricting exports of products and waste that cause harm in the third countries; better control of trade in e-waste as well as a global initiative on the export of end-of-life vehicles.

The EU top priorities, including the green recovery and green transition, are well reflected in this new strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation. In line with the Communication, the Commission will reinforce its support for international cooperation in climate and environmental science e.g. through IPCC, IPBES and IRP), clean tech development as well as in the uptake of the EU green standards globally. Horizon Europe will include dedicated research topics for climate action, environmental protection, pollution reduction, circular economy, sustainable food systems and just transition; these would be open to participation by non-EU countries.

The G7 Summit set out a broad vision for addressing the inter-linked climate and biodiversity crises and the importance of acting on them in parallel. The leaders pledged to support a green revolution that creates jobs, to reach zero emissions by 2050 and to halve them by 2030; to increase climate finance by 2025; and to protect at least 30% of our land and oceans by 2030. The preceding G7 Ministerial Meeting on Environment outlined the need to act on specific challenges such as deforestation, wildlife trade, healthy oceans and mainstream nature into all sectors and policies.

EU recent bilateral Summits with India, Japan, US and Canada reflected growing support to evolving green agenda. The Joint Statements recognized the interdependence between climate and biodiversity crises and the need to act on these in parallel. Individually, there are joint commitments in the field of water management, ocean and biodiversity protection, including through the global 30x30 conservation targets. In addition, the first ever EU Green Alliance with Japan was launched reflecting all EGD priorities.