COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION update

 

Press material Monday 24 October 2022

● Council of the EU   24/10/2022 15:27 | Press release | Council approves conclusions for UN biodiversity summit in Montreal (COP15)   The Council today approved conclusions in view of the conference of parties for the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 15), the Cartagena Protocol (COP-MOP 10) and the Nagoya Protocol (COP-MOP 4), to be held in Montreal, Canada, from 7 to 19 December 2022. The conclusions will serve as the EU’s general negotiating position in the meetings. This is expected to be a landmark UN Biodiversity Conference, where the intention is to adopt a post-2020 global biodiversity framework, setting out goals to guide global actions to protect and restore nature into the next decade. "This will be a breakthrough conference. World leaders will gather to agree on the global protection of our biodiversity. We are already witnessing a serious decline of different species and it is time to act. I am glad the EU agreed on a strong position for the biodiversity summit. Protecting our ecosystems is a common obligation for us as humanity." Anna Hubáčková, Czech minister of environment The Council in its conclusions calls for the adoption of an ambitious, comprehensive and transformative post-2020 global biodiversity framework that includes long-term 2050 goals, 2030 intermediate outcomes and action-oriented 2030 targets that effectively and simultaneously address the direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity loss. The EU stresses the need to include among other things in the goals and targets by 2030: - effectively conserving at least 30% of global land and at least 30% of oceans, - bringing under restoration 3 billion hectares of degraded land and freshwater ecosystems and 3 billion hectares of ocean ecosystems, - eliminating all illegal, unsustainable or unsafe harvest, trade and use of wild species, - halting human induced extinctions of known threatened species, - harnessing the full potential of nature-based solutions, - reducing levels and risks of pollution from all sources, - preventing the introduction and establishment of all priority invasive alien species, and eradicating or controlling already established invasive alien species to reduce their impacts on biodiversity, - implementing practices for the sustainable use of biodiversity at a significant scale with set numerical targets, - addressing land- and sea-use change negatively affecting biodiversity in all ecosystems. The Council acknowledges the importance of dedicated, predictable and adequate resource mobilisation for biodiversity. The conclusions recall the commitment by the European Commission for the EU to double external funding for biodiversity, in particular for the most vulnerable countries, and that the EU member states are altogether the largest contributor to the Global Environment Facility GEF. The Council confirms its willingness to contribute to identifying a solution on the issue of ‘digital sequence information on genetic resources’ (DSI) and stresses that any solution needs among other things to be based on existing practices in databases, preserve open access to DSI from public databases and ensure that shared benefits will contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and support Sustainable Development Goals. The Council calls for the adoption of a long-term strategic framework for capacity-building beyond 2020, the knowledge management component and a communication strategy for the Global Biodiversity Framework. It also calls for the adoption at COP 15 of a strong and enhanced mechanism for planning, reporting and review together with a robust monitoring framework. The Council emphasises the critical importance of biodiversity mainstreaming within and across all policies and sectors and is committed to lead by example by fully mainstreaming biodiversity into plans and policies at EU, national and local levels. The Council calls for the adoption of the Implementation Plan for the Cartagena Protocol (2022-2030), anchored in and complementary to the Global Biodiversity Framework. It highlights the need to fully implement the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing and improve its effectiveness and efficiency.

Press material Monday 24 October 2022

● Council of the EU   24/10/2022 16:16 | Press release | Council adopted EU single window for customs   To make international trade easier, shorten customs clearance times and reduce the risk of fraud, the EU decided to create a single window for customs. Today the Council adopted new rules which set the appropriate conditions for digital collaboration between customs and partner competent authorities. "I am pleased that we decided to create a single window for customs, as it will make trading with the EU a lot easier. All relevant authorities at the EU’s external borders will be able to access the relevant data electronically and collaborate more easily on border checks. We will be able to enforce our high European standards in areas such as health and safety, environment, agriculture or international heritage more easily. I am confident that the single window will make goods clearance a lot faster. This will affect hundreds of millions movements of goods each year." Zbyněk Stanjura, Minister of Finance of Czechia Efficient customs clearance and controls are essential to allow trade to flow smoothly while also protecting EU citizens, businesses and the environment. Once fully implemented, businesses will no longer have to submit documents to several authorities through different portals. The single window environment will allow customs and other authorities to automatically verify that the goods in question comply with EU requirements and that the necessary formalities have been completed. The new rules are expected to boost the smooth flow of cross-border trade and will help reduce the administrative burden for traders, particularly by saving time and making clearance simpler and more automated. Background and next steps The Commission came forward with the proposal establishing the EU single window environment for customs and amending regulation (EU) No 952/2013 on 29 October 2020. The Council agreed its negotiating mandate on 15 December 2021. Negotiations between the co-legislators ended in a provisional agreement on 19 May 2022. Today’s adoption of the final text means that this regulation can now be signed at the European Parliament’s November II plenary and then be published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Regulation establishing the European Union Single Window Environment for Customs and amending Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 Customs: Provisional agreement reached on EU single window which will make customs clearance easier and faster (press release, 19 May 2022) Customs Action Plan: Council approves conclusions (press release, 21 December 2020)