COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,update

 

Press material Wednesday 15 November 2023

● Council of the EU   15/11/2023 17:34 | Press release | Cybersecurity: Member states agree common position on a targeted amendment to the cybersecurity act   To enhance EU’s cyber resilience by enabling the future adoption of European certification schemes for ‘managed security services’, member states’ representatives (Coreper) reached a common position on the proposed targeted amendment of the EU’s cybersecurity act (CSA) of 2019. ‘Managed security services’, provided to customers by specialised companies, are crucial for the prevention, detection, response, and recovery from cybersecurity incidents. They can consist of, for example, detection or response to incidents, penetration testing or security audits, or consultancy. Main objectives of the Commission proposal Submitted together with a proposal for an EU cyber solidarity act to strengthen cybersecurity capacities in the EU, the targeted amendment to the CSA aims to include European cybersecurity certification schemes for ‘managed security services’ in the scope of the 2019 CSA regulation. This amendment will therefore enable the establishment of European certification schemes for such services. It will help to increase their quality and comparability, foster the emergence of trusted cybersecurity service providers, and avoid fragmentation of the internal market given that some member states have already started the adoption of national certification schemes for managed security services. The Council’s amendments The Council’s position contains the following main amendments to the Commission proposal: it clarifies the definition of ‘managed security services’ and the alignment with the revised network information systems (‘NIS 2’) directive the text aligns the security objectives of these certification schemes with the security objectives of other schemes under the current cybersecurity act the text includes modifications in the annex to the cybersecurity act, which contains a list of requirements to be met by conformity assessment bodies a number of technical and drafting modifications have been introduced to make sure that all the relevant provisions of the current CSA regulation apply also to managed security services

Press material Wednesday 15 November 2023

● Council of the EU   15/11/2023 16:51 | Press release | EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta: New Operation Commander appointed   Today, the Council appointed Vice Admiral Ignacio Villanueva Serrano as Operation Commander of the European Union military operation to contribute to maritime security in the West Indian Ocean and in the Red Sea (EUNAVFOR ATALANTA), starting on 23 November 2023. He takes command from Vice Admiral José M. Núñez Torrente. Vice Admiral Ignacio Villanueva Serrano is currently Chief of Staff of the Spanish Navy Fleet Headquarters and has served in the Spanish Navy for 36 years. He was appointed as Force Commander of the EU NAVFOR Somalia Operation Atalanta in 2020. EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta is a maritime security operation. It contributes to the deterrence, prevention, and repression of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast, and it counters illicit trafficking at sea. It supports the transportation and delivery of humanitarian aid to Somalia by protecting vessels of the World Food Programme. Operation Atalanta also protects other vulnerable shipping, and monitors fishing activities off the coast of Somalia. The operation is part of the EU's comprehensive approach for a peaceful, stable and democratic Somalia. As such, it has an active role to support other EU missions and programmes in the region. EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta coordinates with the EU missions EUCAP Somalia and EUTM Somalia to strengthen the Somali security and defence forces. Today's decision was adopted by the Political and Security Committee. Biography of Vice Admiral Ignacio Villanueva Serrano EU Naval Force Operation ATALANTA

Press material Wednesday 15 November 2023

● Council of the EU   15/11/2023 12:35 | Press release | EU-UK relations: Council gives the go-ahead to UK participation in the Horizon Europe and Copernicus programmes   The Council today gave its green light to UK participation in the EU’s Horizon Europe and Copernicus programmes, approving the agreement in principle reached between the Commission and the UK government on 7 September 2023. According to the agreement in principle, as of 1 January 2024, researchers and organisations in the UK will be able to participate in the EU’s research and innovation programme Horizon Europe on equal terms with their counterparts in the EU member states. The UK will also participate in the EU's earth observation programme Copernicus and have access to the EU’s space surveillance and tracking services. The UK’s participation will be subject to all the safeguards of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, including the payment of a participation fee into the EU budget. The Council and the Commission also made a joint statement on today’s Council decision. Next steps Today’s Council decision will enable the EU to formalise the agreement in principle reached with the UK by adopting a decision within the EU-UK Specialised Committee on Participation in Union programmes. The committee, set up under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, is expected to adopt the decision before the end of the year. Background The UK’s participation in EU programmes is governed by the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which entered into force on 1 May 2021. The agreement on the Windsor Framework, concerning a new joint way forward on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, has allowed the EU and the UK to turn the page in their relations and deepen their relationship in areas of shared interest. Council decision on EU position in the Specialised Committee on Participation in Union programmes Draft decision No 1/2023 of the Specialised Committee EU-UK relations: Commission and UK reach political agreement on UK participation in Horizon Europe and Copernicus (European Commission press release, 7 September 2023) EU relations with the United Kingdom (background information)

Press material Wednesday 15 November 2023

● Council of the EU   15/11/2023 06:07 | Press release | Samoa Agreement: EU and its Member States sign new Partnership Agreement with the Members of the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States   The EU and its member states signed today a new Partnership Agreement with the Members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) that will serve as an overarching legal framework for their relations for the next twenty years. This agreement will succeed the Cotonou Agreement and will be known as the “Samoa Agreement”. The agreement covers subjects such as sustainable development and growth, human rights and peace and security. The denomination of the Agreement was agreed at the 46th session of the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, which took place right before the signature ceremony, also in Samoa. "It is a great honour for us that the agreement can finally be signed during the Spanish Presidency of the Council, after years of work on both parts. The new Samoa agreement will help both sides to better address global challenges together and will reinforce bilateral cooperation in a wide range of aspects, from climate to peace and security, in the upcoming two decades. This is a difficult time for joint global action and multilateral approach. But this agreement shows that very large and diverse groups of countries can agree on concrete steps to deepen their partnership for building a joint future. It makes me and the European Union that I represent here hopeful." Pilar Cancela Rodríguez, Secretary of State for International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain, who co-signed the Agreement on behalf of the EU

Press material Wednesday 15 November 2023

● Council of the EU   15/11/2023 04:12 | Press release | Climate action: Council and Parliament reach deal on new rules to cut methane emissions in the energy sector   The Council and the Parliament today reached a provisional political agreement on a regulation on tracking and reducing methane emissions in the energy sector. "This agreement is a great achievement in the framework of the ´Fit for 55´ package. The text represents a crucial contribution to climate action as methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, second only to carbon dioxide in its overall contribution to climate change and responsible for a third of current climate warming. Reducing methane emissions will help us to achieve EU´s climate goals." Teresa Ribera Rodríguez, acting Spanish third vice-president of the government and minister for the ecological transition and the demographic challenge The regulation introduces new requirements for the oil, gas and coal sectors to measure, report and verify methane emissions, as well as put in place mitigation measures to avoid such emissions, including detecting and repairing methane leaks and limiting venting and flaring. It also puts forward global monitoring tools to ensure transparency on methane emissions from imports of oil, gas and coal into the EU. Monitoring, reporting and inspections The Council and the Parliament have agreed on specific deadlines and frequencies for monitoring, reporting and inspections of potential sources of methane emissions. Within specific time periods from the entry into force of this regulation, operators must submit reports to the competent authorities containing the quantification of source-level methane emissions (within 18 months), direct measurements quantification of source-level methane emissions for operated assets (within 24 months), direct-measurements quantification of source-level methane emissions complemented by site-level measurements (within 36 months and by 31 May every following year) and direct measurements quantification of source-level methane emissions for non-operated assets (within 48 months, and by 31 May every following year). Mine operators will have to submit reports to the competent authorities containing yearly source-level methane emissions data (within 12 months) for operating mines, as well as monitor the plugged and abandoned mines. The competent authorities must carry out periodic inspections to check operators' compliance with the requirements set out in the regulation. The first inspection must be completed no later than 21 months after the date of entry into force of the regulation. The period between inspections is to be based on an appraisal of the environmental, human safety and public health risks and must not exceed three years. If a serious breach of the requirements of the regulation is detected, the subsequent inspection must take place within one year Leak detection and repair The aim of leak detection and repair surveys is to identify sources of methane leaks, including other unintentional methane emissions, and to repair or replace the relevant components. The provisional agreement provides for the adoption of a risk-based approach, drawing a distinction between type 1 leak detection and repair surveys (lower accuracy to find big leaks) and type 2 surveys (higher accuracy to find small leaks) based on minimum detection limits and minimum leak thresholds, and differentiating between aboveground components, underground components, and components below sea level and below the seabed. The two institutions agreed on allowing operators to use advanced technology systems under specific conditions. By 12 months, the Commission must, by means of an implementing act, specify minimum detection limits at standard temperature and pressure. As far as possible, repair or replacement of components is to take place immediately after detection of a leak, or as soon as possible for a first attempt but no later than five days and 30 days for a complete repair. Leaks under a given threshold will be closely monitored. Imports The Council and the Parliament agreed on three implementation phases. The first phase will focus on data collection and the creation of a methane emitters global monitoring tool and a super emitter rapid reaction mechanism. In the second and third phases, equivalent monitoring, reporting and verification measures should be applied by exporters to the EU by 1 January 2027, and maximum methane intensity values by 2030. The competent authorities of each member state will have the power to impose administrative penalties if these provisions are not respected. Inactive, temporarily plugged and permanently plugged and abandoned wells The provisional agreement provides that member states should maintain and regularly update an inventory of all wells. Proof of no methane emissions should be produced for wells permanently plugged and abandoned less than 30 years ago and, where available, for other wells. Mitigation plans to remediate, reclaim and permanently plug inactive wells must be maintained and regularly updated. Closed or abandoned coal mines In accordance with monitoring, reporting and mitigation measures, mines that have been closed or abandoned for less than 70 years come under the scope of the obligations of the regulation, with an exemption for mines that have been fully flooded for more than 10 years.

Meetings Wednesday 15 November 2023

● Council of the EU   15/11/2023 02:05 | MEETING | Main results - 46th ACP-EU Council of Ministers, 15 November 2023   The 46th session of the ACP-EU Council of Ministers that took place in Apia, Samoa, on 15 November 2023 was the last such meeting under the current framework established by Cotonou Agreement and allowed for an exchange of views on a number of issues of importance for the Partnership, before the signature of the new Partnership Agreement.

Meetings Tuesday 14 November 2023

● Council of the EU   14/11/2023 19:32 | MEETING | Main results - Foreign Affairs Council (Defence), 14 November 2023   The Foreign Affairs Council in its defence configuration discussed EU support to Ukraine and, under current affairs, the EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, and EU CSDP missions and operations.

Press material Tuesday 14 November 2023

● Council of the EU   14/11/2023 16:18 | Press release | Lead and diisocyanates: EU set to protect workers from exposure   Today, the two co-legislators provisionally agreed on the limit values for lead and diisocyanates. The deal still needs to be confirmed by both institutions before going through the formal adoption procedure. "It is the first time in 40 years that we are revising the limit values for occupational exposure to lead, and the first time ever to introduce limit values for diisocyanates. A few months ago, we struck a deal to protect EU workers from asbestos. This provisional agreement is another milestone towards ensuring a safe green transition for all workers in the EU." Yolanda Díaz, acting Spanish Minister for Labour Main elements of the compromise Reducing limit values for lead and setting new ones for diiisocyanates The negotiators of the presidency and the European Parliament agreed on the core of this draft directive, which is the introduction of limit values for the two groups of substances, as the two co-legislators shared the commitment to improving workers’ health and safety. They maintained the Commission’s ambition on lowering the occupational exposure limit for lead from 0.15mg/m3 to 0.03mg/m3, and the biological limit value for lead from 70µg/100ml to 15µg/100ml. The compromise text is also aligned with the Commission’s proposal on setting the first-ever overall occupational exposure limit for diisocyanates at 6µg NCO/m3 (i.e. the maximum concentration in the air a worker breathes during the course of an 8-hour working day) and a short-term exposure limit of 12µg NCO/m3 (i.e. average exposure over a period of 15 minutes). The co-legislators also agreed on a transitional period for the new biological limit value for lead (until 31 December 2028) in order to ensure that member states have sufficient time to effectively update production processes and to implement the necessary prevention and protection measures. Specific rules and health surveillance measures The co-legislators reached a balanced agreement as regards specific provisions on protecting the health of workers who already have high levels of lead in their blood as a result of historical exposure, while ensuring their continuity on the labour market. As for women of childbearing age, the negotiators achieved a balance between protecting safety and health of foetus and offspring of female workers – through medical monitoring – and ensuring their equal treatment on the labour market. Both co-legislators acknowledged the importance of qualifying lead as a “non-threshold reprotoxic substance”, meaning there is no level below which exposure to lead would be safe for the development of the offspring of female workers of childbearing age. Review and implementation of the directive The co-legislators agreed to task the Commission to subsequently assess the limit values for lead in line with scientific knowledge and propose legislative amendments, where appropriate. According to the agreed text, the Commission will initiate the procedure to consider the inclusion of endocrine disrupters in the directive, since the latter may have harmful effects on the workers’ health. Finally, the agreed text includes a requirement for the Commission to issue guidelines on health surveillance, which should include advice on how to implement provisions relating to blood lead levels. Next steps The provisional agreement will now have to be endorsed by the Council and the Parliament. It will then be formally adopted by both institutions following legal-linguistic revision. After the formal steps of the adoption have been completed, member states will have two years to incorporate the provisions of the directive into their national legislation. Background The EU has had rules in place to limit exposure to lead since 1982. Prolonged exposure to lead is known to affect reproductive functions and foetal development, as well as to damage the nervous system, the kidneys, the heart and blood. Diisocyanates are a group of chemicals that are widely used in in industry, particularly in the manufacturing of polyurethanes and as hardeners in industrial paints, glues, varnishes and resins. It is estimated that 4.1 million workers are currently exposed to these chemicals. There are currently no limit values for diisocyanates at EU level, yet they are known to cause asthma and other respiratory diseases. Dangerous chemical substances at work (background information)

Meetings Tuesday 14 November 2023

● Council of the EU   14/11/2023 16:02 | MEETING | General Affairs Council, 15 November 2023   Background brief - General Affairs Council, 15 November 2023

14/11/2023 | Article EU ministers strengthen their commitment to access to decent housing in the Gijón Declaration EU Housing and Urban Development officials have strengthened their commitment to ensuring access to decent and affordable housing for all European citizens with the adoption of the Gijón Declaration.

14/11/2023 | Press release Gijón Declaration: Housing for all in sustainable, healthy, and inclusive built environments EU ministers for housing and urban development support a joint statement on the importance of continuing work to guarantee access to decent and adequate housing.