John Gormley
Ceist:128 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will make a full statement on the meeting of EU Environment Ministers at Chester, United Kingdom. [10360/98]
Written Answers. - EU Environment Council.
The informal meeting of EU Environment Ministers in Chester on 25 April discussed EU chemicals management policy. The main issues addressed in a wide ranging discussion were the implementation of Regulation 793/93 on the evaluation and control of existing chemical substances; the notification regime for new chemical substances; public concern about chemicals and public confidence in risk assessment procedures; and risk assessment principles.
The Presidency did not draw conclusions at the end of the meeting but the Commission will prepare a report by the end of the year on the way forward in regard to chemicals management.
Commissioner Bjerregaard also reported to the meeting on the preparation by the Commission of a strategy, to be presented to the June European Council, for the integration of environmental and sustainable development considerations in Community policy making.
There was also an informal joint meeting of Environment and Transport Ministers in Chester on 26 April to commence preparations for a joint meeting of the Transport and Environment Councils on 17 June in Luxembourg. The issues discussed in Chester included,inter alia, the main environmental challenges facing transport, traffic growth in the Community and the action necessary to make transport more sustainable.