ENV - NEWS

The meeting was the first exchange between EU institutions (DG ENV, DG CLIMA, EEAS, EU Delegation in Chile) and Chilean authorities (Division for Environment and Maritime Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mission of Chile to the European Union) on the EU’s written proposal regarding the establishment a High-Level Dialogue (HLD) on Climate Change, Environment and Green Sustainability.

Forty-six years after the last major UN water conference, the international community convened a historic meeting in New York. The objectives were to advance efforts to provide safe water and sanitation for humanity to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6). The conference concluded with the agreement to establish a UN Special Envoy for Water, renewed political momentum, and approximately 700 voluntary commitments and pledges from many stakeholders.

One Forest Summit concludes with a plan to promote sustainable forestry and climate action.

The Conference provided an opportunity for the EU to reiterate its strong commitment to the Central Asia (CA) region in tackling climate change and restoring the environment. The parties expressed their wish to step up EU–CA cooperation, as well as CA intraregional cooperation in this area.

The thirteenth meeting of the OEWG focused on items in its work programme deemed to be of high or medium priority, including: consideration of recommendations to improve the Strategic Framework; development draft recommendations to improve functioning of Prior Informed Consent (PIC) procedure; consideration and further development of technical guidelines, e.g. those on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), plastic waste and waste lead-acid batteries; consideration of the need to update existing guidance, technical guidelines and factsheets in order to reflect adjustments consequential to the adoption of the e-waste amendment; and progress in the work on further legal clarity.

The session concluded the global negotiations on the Treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, also known as the Treaty of the High Seas, aiming to protect the ocean, tackle environmental degradation, fight climate change, and prevent biodiversity loss.

The European Commission and the Government of Greenland jointly organized the EU Arctic Forum and Indigenous Peoples’ Dialogue in Nuuk, Greenland, hosted by high-level representatives from the European Commission, the EU External Action Service and the Government of Greenland. A broad range of Arctic stakeholders representing governments, international organisations, civil society, industry, research, indigenous and local communities participated.

This regularly organized global Congress, which aims to engage marine conservation professionals, authority representatives, youth delegates, indigenous people, and other stakeholders to exchange knowledge, experience and best practices on marine conservation efforts and address issues related to marine protected areas (MPAs), was hosted by the First Nations (Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh), the Province of British Columbia, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS).

The ad hoc Open-ended Working Group on a Science-Policy Panel for Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution (OEWG 1.2) held its first resumed meeting to further develop a science-policy panel that will facilitate the exchange of information between scientists and policymakers on the most pressing issues of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Japan and the European Commission held a very dynamic and productive meeting on three key environmental issues: biodiversity, circular economy and plastics, and pollution.

In the spirit of the Paris Agreement, G7 Ministers of Climate, Energy and the Environment will discuss the global promotion of Green Transformation (GX) to ensure that the entire economic, social and industrial structure is driven by clean energy to pursue net zero, circular and nature positive economies in an integrated manner.

The 2023 meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the three conventions will be held under the theme ‘Accelerating action: Targets for the sound management of chemicals and waste’. The meetings will be organized back-to-back and will include joint sessions on joint issues.

The second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment (INC-2), will be preceded by regional consultations on 28 May 2023.

WCEF 2023 will focus on finding circular solutions that can help our economies fit within the boundaries of nature. The event includes a number of sessions related to improving circularity globally and the Commission is involved in several, including the GACERE-led session on roadmaps and circular economy. This forum is co-organised by Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra and Nordic Innovation, with international partners.

This annual event organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment creates an opportunity to debate and promote the European environmental policy.

The High-Level Meeting will take stock of key global events and developments on the global environment agenda in the course of the last year and review joint European Commission-UNEP efforts and initiatives in order to formulate actionable recommendations for further cooperation.

On 22 March 2023, the Commission proposed common criteria against greenwashing and misleading environmental claims.

On 24 January the ENVI Committee of the European Parliament approved the final compromise text of the regulation on batteries which had been endorsed by the Permanent Representatives Committee meeting of 18 January 2023. A vote in the EP plenary session is scheduled for 24 May.