Environment Ministers of the V4 countries, Bulgaria and Romania signed a joint statement

Press release: 08.11.2011

The ministers drew attention to the importance and significance of the preparation of a low-carbon economy by 2050 and emphasised that any further steps would have to be carefully evaluated from the viewpoint of all potential costs, benefits and impacts at the level of the individual Member States, including industrial branches, with a view to minimising the risk of release of carbon and ensuring economical feasibility.

A unilateral decision to increase the commitment on the part of the EU, and thus also the Czech Republic, could lead to endangering the competitiveness of European industry, retardation of the growth of the European economy and, ultimately, transfer of production and the related emissions to countries with lower standards in environmental protection and increasing overall emissions. On the other hand, it is necessary to realise that, thanks to the economic recession, overall emissions in the EU have decreased substantially and, primarily as a results of this, the price of emission allowances has fallen below EUR 10 – i.e. under the value that would be desirable from the viewpoint of initiation of necessary innovations in energy production and industry.

The ministers also agreed that the EU should carefully consider all further steps related to the internal target in reducing emissions by the middle of 2020 and also the target for further milestones up to 2050. From the viewpoint of a permanently decreasing contribution of the European Union to global emissions (approx 12%), it is necessary to further insist on making a higher target of the EU dependent on the adoption of similar commitments on the part of all important global emitters (the U.S.A., China, etc.) in accordance with the previous conclusions of the Councils for the Environment and European Councils.

The seventeenth meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention (COP 17) and the seventh meeting of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 7) will be held on 28 November – 9 December 2011 in Durban South Africa. 2011 is a very important year from the viewpoint of the Kyoto Protocol as its first commitment period will terminate at the end of 2012. The Durban conference will be a suitable opportunity to agree on the second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol and thus avoid a vacuum between the first and second commitment periods. The ministers also emphasised the need to agree on the use and transfer of AAU units in the second commitment period.

The main goal of the conference is to prepare and subsequently approve a timetable or mandate for the adoption of a legally binding agreement. The European Union has already confirmed its favourable attitude to the adoption of the second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol and thus execution of a legally binding agreement.

The Environment Ministers of the countries of the Visegrad group, Bulgaria and Romania agreed that they would continue to co-operate in the area of air protection and exchange of information on the approaches of the individual countries to this issue. They also agreed that they would support projects concentrating on cross-border co-operation. In addition, the ministers intend to co-operate in sharing of experience relating to the aspects of household heating.

The main priority of the V4 countries is maintenance of a strong cohesion policy concerned with reducing economic and social differences between Member States and regions. The cohesion policy should be one of the important instruments in achieving the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy, where it is necessary to retain sufficient flexibility in adjusting national developmental priorities. The Ministers of the Environment of the countries of the Visegrad group, Bulgaria and Romania agreed on intensive co-operation during discussions on the future EU multi-year financial framework.

In the context of proposals of the Commission for the future programme period, the Czech Republic acknowledged the process of incorporation of climate change and protection of the environment in the framework of the EU budget for the 2014-2020 period. Simultaneously, in co-operation with the regions, the Ministry of the Environment is preparing a proposal for future priorities of the cohesion policy in the area of the environment and will hold preliminary negotiations on water and water management infrastructure, waste management (combustion, recycling), air protection (modernisation of technology), biodiversity (including flood protection measures), effective use of energy and resources, eco-innovations and old environmental burdens, as well as alternative transport.

Two main subjects of the top UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio + 20) – green economy in the context of sustainable development and eradication of poverty and an institutional framework for sustainable development – are considered to be of greatest importance by the Visegrad countries. The ministers defined the priorities of their joint approach: more efficient use of resources, especially energy, including energy savings, and more effective work of the UN institutions.

The ministers agreed that provision for sustainable financing of the administration of the individual sites of the Natura 2000 network is of fundamental importance for achieving the goals of the Natura 2000 programme. The ministers welcomed the fact that support for biological diversity, including the Natura 2000 network, belongs amongst investment priorities in the context of the EU multi-year financial framework.

The Environment Ministers of the countries of the Visegrad group, Bulgaria and Romania agreed on support for accession of the EU to the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians (Carpathian Convention).

Michaela Jendeková, tiskové oddělení MŽP