COUNCIL OF THE EU update

 

19/12/2022 12:00 | Article Looking back at the successes of CZ PRES - Agriculture and Fisheries Council During the Czech Presidency, the national strategic plans of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) were approved by all Member States. After a difficult negotiation process, farmers will have access to subsidies from next year. The Czech Republic also promoted a fair approach to reducing pesticide consumption. We have also advocated that deforestation and forest degradation should be avoided in the production of food and other products. In the context of the war in Ukraine, our Presidency has succeeded in introducing support measures for farmers and consumers in the EU to ensure that there is enough food in Europe and in developing countries. The final achievement of the Czech Presidency was the approval of fishing rights for individual EU Member States.

Article

19 December 202212:00

Looking back at the successes of CZ PRES - Agriculture and Fisheries Council





During the Czech Presidency, the national strategic plans of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) were approved by all Member States. After a difficult negotiation process, farmers will have access to subsidies from next year. The Czech Republic also promoted a fair approach to reducing pesticide consumption. We have also advocated that deforestation and forest degradation should be avoided in the production of food and other products. In the context of the war in Ukraine, our Presidency has succeeded in introducing support measures for farmers and consumers in the EU to ensure that there is enough food in Europe and in developing countries. The final achievement of the Czech Presidency was the approval of fishing rights for individual EU Member States.

The new Common Agricultural Policy

Thanks to the intensive efforts of the Czech Presidency (CZ PRES), the European Commission (EC) has succeeded in getting the national CAP strategic plans of all Member States approved this year. This is important for the direction of European agriculture up to 2027. Member States will thus be able to pay subsidies to farmers and implement the new CAP from 1 January 2023. Its aim is to help the landscape, improve the condition of water and soil, while not compromising food security and strengthening local food production.
Reducing pesticide use

The Czech Republic is advocating for a fair setting of consumption reductions for individual countries. As a result, the EC has taken into account the efforts of the individual Member States so far and proposed a mandatory percentage of further reduction in pesticide use according to the level of consumption in each Member State, compared to the original intention that all Member States should reduce consumption by 50% across the board. The Czech Republic has managed to obtain sufficient support from Member States for the Council to ask the European Commission to prepare a complementary impact study detailing how further reductions in pesticide use will affect agricultural and food production in each country, particularly in light of the war in Ukraine and food security. The aim is to reduce the amount of pesticides used while maintaining sustainable agricultural production.
Preventing deforestation

Under the Czech Presidency, a political agreement on the prevention of deforestation was reached beyond the ambitions set. The Council of the EU (led by CZ PRES), the European Parliament and the European Commission agreed on the text of a regulation to ensure that the production of products derived from coffee, cocoa, palm oil, soy, beef, wood and rubber does not lead to deforestation or forest degradation. Companies will have to demonstrate that no deforestation or degradation of forests and woodlands has actually occurred in the production of the selected products. Products without this proof will not be traded.
Food security

The Czech Presidency has chosen the topic of food security as the main theme of the September Informal Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture in Prague. It was at this meeting that Agriculture Minister Zdeněk Nekula stressed the need and importance of new genomic techniques for the future of agriculture. Following our Presidency, the European Union will begin to change the outdated legislative framework regulating the use of modern plant breeding methods. This framework not only restricts European farmers, but also leads to an outflow of top experts to countries outside the EU. The complex impact of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, specifically on food security in the EU and beyond, and the situation on commodity markets was included by the Czech Presidency as a regular topic on the AGRIFISH Council agenda. The informal meeting in Prague was joined online by Ukrainian Minister Mykola Solskyj, who attended the formal AGRIFISH Council meeting in Brussels in September. Thanks to the CZ PRES initiative, it was possible to find appropriate solutions for individual assistance to Member States in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, for example by providing storage capacity. We also supported the functioning of the solidarity lanes, which enable export agricultural products from Ukraine via the EU to other countries around the world and contribute to stabilising food chains in the world and help prevent food shortages in developing countries.
Fishing rights

One of the main objectives of CZ PRES was to reach political agreements for setting fishing quotas and maximum allowable catches in the Baltic Sea, Atlantic, North Sea, Mediterranean and Black Sea, and this has been achieved. The debate on fishing rights was also very difficult this year. We have found a consensus that is in line with multiannual plans and, above all, with scientific advice. Fish resources are not unlimited, and our task is to protect valuable species and ecosystems, while preserving the socio-economic stability of fishermen.
Food labelling

In line with its priorities, the Czech Presidency has launched a debate on the forthcoming legislative proposal to introduce compulsory nutrition labelling on the front of packaging (the so-called Nutri-Score). We do not want this to discriminate against, for example, regional foods that may be labelled as 'unhealthy' under such a simplified scheme. The issue was discussed by ministers at the AGRIFISH Council. The Czech Presidency also organised a high-level expert conference on this issue. At the conference, experts stressed the importance of scientific knowledge as a basis for the introduction of labelling and a detailed impact analysis. Following the developments during the CZ PRES at the AGRIFISH Council in December, the European Commission assured the Member States that it would present a balanced legislative proposal.

Leading and moderating the discussion of Member States in Europe in these difficult times has been a challenging but meaningful task. We have initiated many difficult debates that are important for European agriculture, consumers and nature as a whole. Despite being a landlocked country, we have managed to finalise one of the most challenging European agreements, namely fishing rights in EU and some non-EU waters. This was an extremely difficult negotiation in which many countries have interests. Throughout our presidency, we have defended the interests of European farmers and food producers, as well as consumers and, above all, our planetZdeněk NekulaAgriculture Minister



During the Presidency, the Czech Republic held a total of five formal Agriculture and Fisheries Councils (AGRIFISH) in Brussels and one informal meeting of Agriculture Ministers in Prague. At the same time, 15 other informal ministerial events were held with the participation of delegates from EU experts as well as guests from third countries. All events were praised by the participants mainly for the appropriate selection of topics, good organisation and timely delivery of supporting documents and the fulfilment of individual Presidency priorities. Czech experts also led many working group meetings in the Czech Republic and in Brussels.

Press material Monday 19 December 2022

● Council of the EU   19/12/2022 12:34 | Press release | Council adopts decision on offsetting requirements for air transport emissions (CORSIA)   The Council adopted the decision on the notification of CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) offsetting requirements, which aims to contribute to world wide’s ambitious goals towards climate neutrality. CORSIA is a global scheme for offsetting CO2 emissions from international aviation adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in 2018, in which EU member states committed to participate from its pilot phase, which began in January 2021. The decision adopted today enables member states to fulfil their first annual obligation to notify operators based in the Union of their CORSIA offsetting requirements, in line with their international commitments in ICAO. "The EU will now implement the carbon offsetting requirements scheme which bring us closer to reaching climate neutrality by 2050. Fighting climate change is a collective, global responsibility and the EU fully supports multilateral efforts in ICAO to reduce the climate impact of international air transport." Martin Kupka, Czech minister of transport

Press material Monday 19 December 2022

● Council of the EU   19/12/2022 12:23 | Press release | Member States agree on new rules to slash methane emissions   The Council reached an agreement (general approach) on a proposal to track and reduce methane emissions in the energy sector. The text is the first of its kind and a crucial contribution to climate action, as methane is the second most important greenhouse gas following carbon dioxide. "Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, responsible for about 30% of current global warming. This regulation will help us understand where methane emissions come from and address them effectively. This will help us meet our commitments under the Global Methane Pledge to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030." Jozef SÍKELA, Czech minister of industry and trade The proposal introduces new requirements for the oil, gas and coal sectors to measure, report and verify methane emissions (MRV) at the highest standard. Operators will need to carefully document all wells and mines, trace their emissions and take appropriate mitigation measures to prevent and minimise methane emissions in their operations. The general approach overall clarifies the provisions of the proposal and takes into account different types of infrastructure like offshore platforms, underground pipelines, or distribution networks. It also allows utilising various devices used to measure emissions and introduces flexibilities in specific national or geological circumstances. Oil and gas sector Operators will have to measure and draw reports on methane emissions that will be checked by independent accredited verifiers. Under the new rules, operators will have to detect and repair methane leaks. Operators will need to carry out surveys of methane leaks in different types of infrastructures at set intervals, using devices with proposed minimum leak detection limits. Operators will then need to repair or replace all leaking components above certain levels immediately after detection, and no later than five days for a first attempt and 30 days for a complete repair. The operators shall prioritise repairs of larger leaks. Offshore oil and gas wells deeper than 700 meters will be exempt, as emissions from those depths have a limited potential of reaching the atmosphere and the insufficient methodology for properly measuring emissions from such wells. The general approach increases the detection limits and repair thresholds, in order to increase the efficiency of addressing significant volumes of leaks rather than larger number of small leaks representing lower shares of emissions. Venting and flaring practices, which release methane into the atmosphere, will be banned except for narrowly defined exceptional circumstances, like construction, repair, decommissioning, safety or testing of the components. The ban will apply immediately at the entry into force of the regulation. In case its implementation is not possible due to further requirements such as permitting process or where the unavailability of equipment causes an exceptional delay, the implementation of the ban may be postponed by two years at most. Inactive wells also emit methane. Member states will establish and publish an inventory of all recorded inactive wells, temporarily plugged wells and permanently plugged and abandoned wells. The general approach foresees a more gradual approach for member states with very high number of wells (40 000 or more). Member states will develop mitigation plans to remediate, reclaim and permanently plug inactive wells and temporarily plugged wells. Offshore wells located at water depth between 200 and 700 meters may be exempted in specific circumstances. Coal sector In the coal sector, member states will have to continuously measure and report methane emissions from operating underground mines and from surface mines. They will have to draw a public inventory of closed and abandoned mines since 50 years ago and measure their emissions. Flaring will be banned from 1 January 2025 and venting will be banned in coal mines emitting more than 5 tonnes of methane per kilotonne of coal mined, from 1 January 2027, and in mines emitting more than 3 tonnes of methane per kilotonne of coal mined from 1 January 2031. Venting and flaring from closed and abandoned mines will be banned from 1 January 2030. Methane emissions outside the EU Methane emissions of the EU's energy imports will also be traced. The new rules will put forward global monitoring tools that will increase transparency of methane emissions from imports of oil, gas and coal into the EU, which will allow the Commission to consider further actions in the future. The creation of two tools will show the performance and reduction efforts of countries and energy companies across the globe in curbing their methane emissions. Background The Council will now enter negotiations with the Parliament to find an agreement on a final text. The Commission presented the proposal for a Regulation on methane emissions reduction in the energy sector on 15 December 2021, as a second part of the ‘Fit for 55’ legislative proposals that aims to implement the European Green Deal with a view to achieving climate neutrality in the Union by 2050. The proposal follows from the strategic vision set out in the EU Methane Strategy in 2020. At the COP26 UN Climate Conference in 2021, the EU launched the Global Methane Pledge in partnership with the United States, whereby over 100 countries committed to reduce their methane emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels. Council general approach on the methane emissions regulation Commission proposal of the methane emissions regulation EU Methane Strategy Global Methane Pledge Fit for 55 (background information)