The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Andreas Gregoriou briefed the Environment Council of the EU on the Cypriot regional initiative on climate change in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean and the associated planned meetings on the sidelines of COP27.
According to an announcement, the work of the meeting of EU ministers responsible for environment issues was devoted to the discussion on the Council conclusions that will constitute the EU’s general negotiating mandate ahead of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) to be held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on 6-18 November, as well as the 15th Conference on Biodiversity (COP15) to be held in Montreal, Canada, on 7-19 December.
The EU’s Environment Ministers also held a policy debate on the revision of the industrial emissions directive. During the meeting, the results of the ninth “Environment for Europe” ministerial meeting, held in Nicosia on 5-7 October 2022, were also presented.
In an intervention during the COP27 debate, Gregoriou stressed the importance of the fact of the summit being held in a European country, and referred to it as an important opportunity to promote European climate diplomacy.
Gregoriou made particular reference to Cyprus’ regional initiative to combat climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. He said that an Action Plan on this issue will be signed on the sidelines of the Summit under the auspices of President Anastasiades and Egyptian President Al-Sisi.
In the context of the discussion on the revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive, Gregoriou referred to Cyprus’ concerns regarding the need for compliance, which is expected to be particularly high for a large number of livestock farms that will be included in the revised Directive, at a time when production costs are already at unprecedented levels due to increases in feed and fuel prices.
Gregoriou said that the Cypriot position is that the proposed entry threshold for livestock units in the scope of application should be increased, and that the possibility of additional funding for the units to be included should be considered.
Speaking on behalf of Cyprus during the briefing on the results of the ninth Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” held in Nicosia between 5-7 October, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary expressed satisfaction with the results of the Conference and stressed that the adoption of the “Nicosia Declaration” reinforces the commitment of European countries to the transition to more sustainable, resilient and inclusive economies, and contributes to the achievement of the sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda.
Finally, on the occasion of a briefing by the Slovenian delegation, Gregoriou stressed that water scarcity and drought issues are of vital importance for Cyprus as they affect economic prosperity and sustainable development. Briefing the Council on Cyprus’ actions in this regard, he underlined the need to intensify the monitoring of the problem at EU level. In conclusion, he recommended the development of a coordinated early warning system, as well as the creation of a funding mechanism to support policies and measures to address water scarcity and drought.
Source: Cyprus News Agency