Publication - June 6, 2014
Italy will take over the six-month presidency of the council of the European Union in July 2014. During these months, a number of important environmental and energy issues will be at the heart of European politics.
Beyond immediate security concerns, developments in Ukraine have been focusing the minds of EU leaders on the need to strengthen the EU’s energy security. This is the backdrop for discussions on another thorny item: the EU climate and energy ambition after 2020.
In addition to negotiations on EU energy and carbon targets, the Italian presidency will lead discussions with significant impacts on the lives of Europeans. These will include decisions on genetically-modified crops, forests, toxic chemicals and fisheries.
Italy will also be at the helm of Europe during several international meetings on climate change, in particular UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon’s summit in September in New York and the global conference in December in Lima (Peru), which are both important stepping stones in the negotiations to reach a global deal to combat climate change.
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