The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Mr.Petros Xenophontos, participated in the work of the EU Environment Council held today, 16 March 2023, in Brussels.
The main focus of the Council's work was the exchange of views on the proposal for the revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive. In his intervention, Mr Xenophontos welcomed the compromise text of the proposal and was particularly pleased with the specific provision included for Cyprus, aiming at the uninterrupted supply of electricity to its citizens and businesses, taking into account that Cyprus is not, at present, energy interconnected with the rest of the EU member states. Furthermore, it supported the limit set with regard to mining and mineral processing installations and the exemption of gypsum installations as well as, in the spirit of compromise, the proposed admission limits for the livestock sector, while noting the need for possible financial assistance to small livestock installations to cope with the increased requirements. The certification methodology, the Minister pointed out, should take into account both the geographical context and the existing climate zone of each Member State. Key concepts such as additionality should be precisely defined, he added, and the definition of the database should reflect the different profiles and absorption conditions of the Member States.
During a working lunch, Ministers had the opportunity to exchange views on the green dimension of the European Semester process and its contribution to ensuring macroeconomic stability and growth.
The Packaging Waste Regulation was also discussed by the '27'. Cyprus expressed concerns about the changes that will have to be made to the production processes in terms of the tight timeframes set, including the creation of new infrastructures and models for refilling and reusing packaging and the high costs they entail. Xenophontos asked that the different starting points of each Member State be taken into account, outlining the particular circumstances of Cyprus, its isolated island character and the seasonal variations in waste generation due to tourism.
The Environment Council also discussed the revision of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. The Minister expressed Cyprus' concern about the large number of new obligations that will be required, the imminent costs of implementation, as well as the tight timetables. In this context, he suggested that the extension of the scope to smaller installations, as well as the obligation for further treatment, should be based on a Risk Assessment and a cost-benefit study. Xenophontos expressed Cyprus' support to the Austrian initiative for the application of the precautionary principle with regard to innovative genomic techniques.
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