Patrick ten Brink,

Deputy Secretary General and Director of EU Policy

EEB’s Ten Green Tests for the Czech Presidency of the Council

Meeting with Czech NGOs

13 June 2022 | 16:00 – 18:00

The FR CZ SE Presidency Trio

Jan ‘22 - June ‘23: EEB’s Dozen Demands

French Presidency Memorandum – EN

& Ten Green Tests

Czechia inherits the files from the French presidency - the Czech presidency agenda depends on how far the French get

International Processes (e.g. UNFCCC COP) & “Developments” (e.g. War in Ukraine)

Emerging Issues (e.g. Pricing, natural hazards, pollution impact evidence)

The Czech presidency legacy for Sweden

The Czech Presidency will be a critically important six months for Europe. Need Czech leadership to help:

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Respond to the Russian war in Ukraine and its implications

• Importance of solidarity and reminder that the EU is a peace project
• EU Commitments for fossil fuel independence from Russia: new policies: e.g. REPowerEU; Energy security
• Instrumentalisation of the war to undermine the EGD: need to defend/promote EGD; resist false solutions
• Strategic resilience of the European economy and the resilience of democratic institutions

Advance transformative policy agendas

• To respond to turmoil and create a better, more resilient future: strengthen certain files
• To advance on critical dossiers to enable completion of the EGD within this Commission and Parliament

EEB’S 10 GREEN TESTS: #1 Address the climate emergency and promote sustainable mobility

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1. Integrate REPowerEU ambition in the Fit for 55 package
• Increasing the renewable energy sources (RES) and Energy Efficiency (EE) targets
• Promoting the energy and material efficiency first as a key principle + promote energy savings & minimise waste energy
• + Committing to nature-positive renewables and maintaining nature protection safeguards in renewable energy permitting: reform the REPowerEU package to avoid deregulation and missed citizen consultation.

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2. Lead EU’s position in the UNFCCC COP27 in Egypt:
1. Showcasing EU ambition + Boosting local resilience and global justice + Promoting and enabling youth participation
3. Lead by example by: Shifting district heating to renewable, non-emitting sources + Promoting community-lead renewable projects building on the example set by Prague,

#2: Reverse the dramatic loss of biodiversity and invest in the resilience of our ecosystems

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1. Lead the Council for the timely adoption of a strong Nature Restoration Law
• Including overarching area-based restoration targets to restore at least 15% of the EU’s land area, river length and sea area by 2030, binding also at Member-State level + Including a binding target for the restoration of free-flowing rivers by 2030;
2. Lead the trilogues for a strong Deforestation Law, strengthening the proposal

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3. Promote thriving marine and coastal ecosystems that support a climate-resilient future

Only adding three examples per Ten Green Test – there are more in EEB’s Memorandum

#3: Initiate a transition towards sustainable food and agriculture

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1. Resist the false arguments promoted by those seeking to instrumentalise the war in Ukraine to defend the status quo & stand firm in support of the Farm to Fork Strategy
2. Insist on an ambitious framework for climate action in the agriculture sector:
1. in the trilogue negotiations: on the revision of the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) + Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) Regulation, + in Council discussions about the Carbon Farming initiative
3. Galvanise Council support for an ambitious revision of the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive (SUPD)

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#4: Ensure clean air towards zero environmental and health impacts

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1. Promote Member States engagement towards an ambitious revision of the Ambient Air Quality Directives by
• Building consensus already now around the need for fully aligned EU air quality standards with WHO Guidelines and comply with them by 2030
• Supporting the definition of air quality standards also for pollutants which are not covered by the 2021 WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines, but for which evidence within the European context already exists, such as black carbon, ultra-fine particles and ammonia.
2. Support the needed revision of the Gothenburg Protocol to the UNECE Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Convention: support the broadening of the scope of the Protocol to cover mercury, black carbon and methane emissions.
3. Lead by example by timely revising Czech’s National Air Pollution Control Programme to deliver, at the minimum, on the National Emission Reduction Targets established by the National Emission Ceilings (NEC) Directive.

#5: Tackle surface and groundwater pollution and ensure clean water for all

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1. Ensure the Council’s support for an ambitious roll out of the Zero Pollution Action Plan
• Effectively preventing or reducing (for essential activities or uses) pollution at source
• Systematically applying the ‘do no harm’ principle
• No tolerance of poor implementation of the EU rules;
• Keeping polluters accountable

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2. Start without delay the Council deliberations on the update of the list and standards of priority substances under the Environmental Quality Standards Directive (EQSD) and Groundwater Directive
3. Lead by example in stepping up implementation and funding of the WFD in Czechia to bring rivers, lakes and groundwater aquifers to ecological health by 2027

#6: Call for a toxic-free environment and the ambitious implementation of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability

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1. Promote an ambitious and timely delivery of chemicals laws reforms: both REACH and CLP Regulations revisions
• Leading council debate promoting ambitious measures to tackle chemicals in products (by reforming the Restriction procedure, introducing the generic risk management);
• Ensuring that the revisions of both REACH and CLP Regulations will be delivered in a timely manner, and in 2024, latest, within the current Commission and Parliament
2. Promote strong REACH group-Restrictions (PFAS, microplastics), including under the April 2022 restrictions roadmap, restricting up to 12000 harmful chemicals

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3. Promote a General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) that holds e-platforms that sell illegal and dangerous chemicals and products containing them, accountable

#7: Shift towards a zero-pollution industry

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1. Commit to clean up industrial production and generate transformative change towards a circular, decarbonised and zero-pollution industry
2. Lead discussions in the Council to ensure an ambitious overhaul of the IED,
1. so that it becomes the new carbon-neutral, zero-pollution and circular industrial production regulation and re-designs the scope and method for the determination of Best Available Techniques (BAT)
3. Ensure internalisation of external costs, notably through an early Environmental Liability Directive review

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#8: Grasp the full potential of the circular economy through improved products policy waste reduction and transparency for consumers

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1. Finalise the negotiations with the EU Parliament on Batteries policy + + Waste Shipment Regulation
1. Ensure innovative policies on carbon footprinting, digital product passport, durability performances, due diligence, recycled contents and phasing out of unnecessary disposable batteries are preserved
2. Finalise the discussion on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) in waste and align on a dioxin contents limit below the proposed 5 micrograms TEQ/kg.
3. Progress the Council position on new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products + on Construction Product Regulation + Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition

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#9: Strengthen accountability and the rule of law and promote environmental justice

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1. Promote an ambitious Council position on the Environmental Crime Directive:
• Ensuring there is an EU-wide definition of ecocide;
• Ensuring all companies can and will be held criminally liable for committing environmental crimes…
2. Promote a strong Council position and improve the Commission proposal on the Corporate Sustainable Due Diligence Directive:
1. Promoting the active involvement of the Environment Council + Extending scope of what constitutes ‘adverse environmental impact’ + supporting a wider personal scope so more companies carry out mandatory due diligence
3. Council position on the legislative proposal for a new anti-SLAPP Directive

#10: Mainstream a transformative Green Deal, foster social, environmental and economic justice, and improve governance

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1. Promote and lead efforts to build consensus for an ambitious reform proposal as part of the EU Economic Governance Review
1. reforming the fiscal framework so that it puts environmental and social goals, including gender justice, at the heart of the EU’s economic governance
2. Secure ambition in the Sustainable Finance Taxonomy, ensure “do no significant harm” (DNSH) principle is adequately operationalised in Taxonomy Delegated Acts

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3. Lead by example in the use of National Recovery and Resilience (NRRP) and Cohesion and Social funds
1. Prioritising energy savings and efficiency, building renovation and heat pump roll out, low-cost public transport, nature-friendly renewable energy development, advancing on energy independence from Russia, cost-savings, resilience to price rises, and climate mitigation.

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Summary and way forward

• The Czech Presidency will inherit a lot of files from the French presidency – an intense agenda
• The Russian war in Ukraine is being used by some to weaken the EGD – but it is clear that a strong EGD will help EU resilience and independence. Czech resolve and leadership important to resist false solutions + show the right way forward (e.g. NRRPs)
• Civil society, have a vision as to how the Czech presidency can help promote a transformative agenda and get other countries on board – we are willing to engage constructively throughout: council letters + direct meetings on legislative files + engagement in key meetings.
• The Ten Green Tests shared are working drafts (and there are more than put in the slides!) – we’d very much welcome hearing your suggestions on important files and asks
• Examples are included as to where Czechia can lead by example – where do you suggestion actions can help the CR and help inspire other Member States?

@Green_Europe

@EuropeanEnvironmentalBureau

eeb@eeb.org

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Thanks for listening!

Join us on Friday 17 June for the �EEB Annual Conference:

https://conference.eeb.org/

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Keep in touch: eeb.org

The EEB gratefully acknowledges the financial support from the LIFE Programme of the European Union as well as a range of other funders. This communication reflects the organizers’ views and does not commit the donors.

Patrick.tenBrink@EEB.org