Tonight the European People’s Party (EPP) ENVI group elected Julie Girling as their deputy coordinator. She succeeds the Austrian MEP Elisabeth Köstinger who left the European Parliament to become Agriculture Minister in Austria. Girling’s election is remarkable considering that she joined the EPP just three weeks ago, after she quit the European Conservatives and Reformists Group. Mrs Girling had the Conservative whip suspended in October after supporting a resolution in Strasbourg declaring that “sufficient progress” had not been made in the Brexit talks to move on to further discussions on the future relationship between the UK and EU. She joined the European People’s Party whose approaches she believes “will more effectively further the prospects of achieving the best possible future for our constituents”. Peter Liese, EPP-coordinator in the ENVI committee, has welcomed the election result: “Over the last 9 years, I have got to know Julie as a hard-working and capable colleague and I am looking forward to developing our work together on the ENVI committee.” Mrs Girling said "I am very grateful for this vote of confidence from my new EPP colleagues. I shall be working hard to make a contribution to the committees work in what is shaping up to be a very busy final year of the mandate."
Member States agreed on the implementation of a safeguard mechanism for the European emission trading system (EU ETS) today in the climate change committee. In case of a hard Brexit - which means that the UK would leave the EU without an agreement - the EU is preparing to maintain strong climate protection. The safeguard mechanism aims at preserving the integrity of the EU ETS in case that obligations of aviation operators and other operators from a member state cease. This would be the case in the event of a UK departure from the EU ETS in March 2019. The necessary changes in the EU ETS registry regulation where approved today by the member states.
Should the Brexit take place in March 2019, UK operators would not have to surrender allowances for their 2018 emissions, as allowances for verified emissions in the year 2018 must be surrendered by 30 April 2019, just after Brexit. The safeguard measure makes sure that aviation operators and other operators in the EU ETS may not use allowances that are issued from 1 January 2018 onwards by the UK.
“In case of a hard Brexit there shall not be any negative repercussions on climate protection and no competitive distortions to the disadvantage of the European Industry”, explained the environmental policy spokesperson of the largest political Group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats) Dr Peter Liese on the occasion of a plenary session‘s decision in Strasbourg.
The Members of the Parliament voted in favour of an amendment, which allows the European Commission to introduce a safeguard mechanism if the UK leaves the EU without any agreement. Beforehand, the text was negotiated by representatives of the Member States and the European Commission, which is why its approval in the Council is considered as certain. “I still hope that there won’t be a hard Brexit. The agreement between Prime Minister Theresa May and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker strengthens me in my hope at least a little bit. The hardliners in UK shouldn’t have any illusions - we are well prepared for a hard Brexit and we will protect our environment and the companies in the EU,” said Liese. The Commission and the representatives of the Member States have by now agreed to detailed regulations.
Read more: Climate protection: aviation will have to contribute more
The European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety backed the compromise on glyphosate on Tuesday morning. The Members of the European Parliament rejected the objection of the communist group, which called for an immediate ban of glyphosate. The environmental policy spokesman, Dr. Peter Liese, of the EPP-Group in the European Parliament welcomed the result: “The European Parliament voted already last year for timely limited extension of the approval of glyphosate with specific conditions. Even if I could have imagined some details differently, the appeal committee followed the parliament’s recommendations yesterday. The original proposal of the Commission, namely 15 years renewal, was as wrong as the request for an immediate ban of glyphosate. Glyphosate must be subject to strict conditions and I hope that we will find an alternative in the coming years. However, I believe that if it is used according to strict rules its application is acceptable.”