Air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions: monitoring mechanism and implementation of the Kyoto Protocol

The Council held a policy debate on a proposal for a Decision for a monitoring mechanism of Community greenhouse emissions and the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. Ministers were asked by the Presidency to focus their interventions on the following issues: - Time-plan : all delegations expressed their wish for the Council to reach political agreement on a common position at its next meeting (Environment) in October 2003; - Base year : the Kyoto Protocol allows a choice between 1990 and 1995 as base year for the calculation of the initial assigned amount of a Party, for the three groups of fluorinated gases that are part of its scope. The majority of Member States showed a preference for 1995 as base year. Some delegations wished to keep the flexibility provided in the Kyoto Protocol for choosing the base year; - European Climate Change Programme (ECCP) : although this was not included in the initial Commission's proposal, the majority of delegations have considered positively the possibility of making the ECCP a national programme for the Community. A small group of delegations, as well as the Commission, expressed their doubts on the benefits of its inclusion in the proposed Decision. A number of Acceding States took the floor to express their wish that the possible inclusion of the Programme in the proposal should be done taking into account their particular needs and individual status vis-à-vis the Kyoto Protocol.�