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Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Dr Maria Panayiotou, accompanied by officials, participated in the informal Council of EU Environment Ministers, organised by the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU, on 15 and 16 January 2024 in Brussels.
The Informal Council discussed the European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA) report to ensure that future EU policies actively consider and assess the acceptable level of risk and inform the next EU policy options. During the discussion, Dr Panagiotou referred to the multiple challenges we face regarding key climate risks and stressed that the EU and Member States can work more effectively to increase social and economic resilience by focusing on sectors of the economy that promote climate change adaptation and sustainable development. She also noted the importance of mainstreaming climate resilience into key sectors, notably agriculture and urban development, for a coherent EU approach.
Referring to the issue of the circular economy, the Minister pointed out that resource-intensive economic growth and unsustainable patterns of production and consumption contribute significantly to the accelerating rate of growth in waste generation, marine pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The circular economy is an appropriate means to achieve improvements in reducing resource consumption and designing products that extend the life cycle of products and change consumer habits. Combined with measures to increase the reuse and recycling of products and the use of secondary materials in the production process, it can reduce pressures on natural resources and reduce environmental pressures on both biodiversity and climate from the extraction, processing and use of raw materials.
On the issue of a just transition, in her intervention, the Minister said that social dialogue must be ensured so that all Member States are fully informed and therefore no one is left behind in a just transition and, at the same time, each Member State should take all measures to maximise the absorption and use of all available financial resources and ensure their distribution to the truly vulnerable people affected by the transition.
In the context of the Informal Summit, the Minister attended a working lunch where the strategic objective of achieving climate neutrality within the EU by 2050 was discussed. In her intervention, Dr Panayiotou noted that the identification of further climate targets for 2040 is an essential step in defining the EU's path towards achieving climate neutrality in 2050.
In the margins of the Council, the Minister met with other Environment Ministers of EU countries to exchange views with a view to adopting good practices that could have a positive application in Cyprus. At the same time, she met with officials of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Cyprus to the EU, where she had the opportunity to be briefed and exchange views on issues related to the responsibilities of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment.
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