ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL : COUNCIL PREPARES GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY CONFERENCE.

PositionConference news

The United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity. The date was not selected at random as it corresponds to the deadline set in 2002 by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) for a substantial reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss. The EU committed to that goal, taking action to halt biodiversity loss by that date, but the objective is a long way from being reached. The representatives of the 150 parties to the convention will meet in autumn 2020, in Nagoya, Japan, to take stock and revise the convention. So, before completing its mandate, the Swedish EU Presidency naturally wished at least to launch the debate to define the position that the EU will defend at that meeting. On 22 December 2009, the Council therefore adopted conclusions(1) underlining the importance of the biodiversity challenge, not only for the survival of ecosystems, but also for combating climate change and, ethically, for a fairer sharing of resources and the eradication of poverty in the world, all of which are closely related.

The Council states that a new vision and targets must be defined for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the EU beyond 2010, building on deliberations at global level, in which the Union "must actively participate". A new EU strategic plan should be developed as the basis for the position it will defend in Nagoya. The Council is therefore "looking forward" to the communication the European...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT