[Cyprus Times] Cyprus in favour of a balanced agreement in the debate on 'Fit for 55' at the Environment Council

Specific policy areas in relation to the "Fit for 55" package were discussed by Environment Ministers and officials at the European Union Environment Council meeting in Brussels on Monday.

In particular, five legislative proposals were discussed, according to a Council statement: the revision of the directive on the greenhouse gas emission trading scheme (EU ETS), the revision of the directive on national emission reduction targets, the revision of the land use and land use emissions (LULUCF) directive, the revision of the rules on car performance standards and the regulation establishing a Social Fund for Climate.

Cyprus was represented at the Council by the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Andreas Gregoriou.

In his intervention, Mr. Grigoriou said that Cyprus' goal is the adoption of a balanced agreement that will lead to the achievement of the agreed climate targets, with a fair and cost-effective burden sharing,

Mr. Grigoriou said that Cyprus' goal is the adoption of a balanced agreement[/b] that will lead to the achievement of the agreed climate targets, with a fair and cost-effective burden sharing, according to a statement. Gregoriou expressed concern about the social and economic impact of extending the Emissions Trading Scheme to buildings and road transport, and stressed the need for the Commission to propose an appropriate framework that responds to the specificities of Member States, noting sensitive issues such as the inclusion of shipping in the trading scheme and the dependence on aviation.

Member States also exchanged views on the progress report on the Batteries and Battery Waste Regulation, which includes a summary of the discussions held on the subject during the Slovenian Presidency and lists the issues and technical questions where further discussion is needed.

Cyprus, as stated in the relevant government communication, has a general reservation on the text, underlining the need to set realistic targets that meet the needs of all Member States.

In his intervention, Mr Gregoriou stated that

Cyprus supports the promotion of a comprehensive Strategy

and stressed the need to respect the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality.

Both in Cyprus and in the Eastern Mediterranean region in general there are specific characteristics, he stressed, which should be taken seriously into account in the formulation of the final legislation. It is very important that Member States are given the flexibility to determine how to manage their obligations and to decide the degree of risk acceptance, as well as the objectives and the measures necessary to achieve them, he concluded.

In the context of the work, Lithuania, supported by Cyprus and other Member States, also raised the issue of the creation of additional carbon dioxide emissions as a result of the implementation of the mandatory vehicle return provision under the Mobility Package I.The group of Member States noted CIF

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