• He emphasized the UNICEF Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action and the role of governments in promoting children's inalienable right to a healthy environment

The last Environment Council of the European Union for 2023 took place today in Brussels. The head of the Bulgarian delegation was Minister Julian Popov. 

Ministers held an orientation debate on the proposal for a Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience - the first ever Union legislation on soil health. A key element of the proposal is setting a long-term target for all soil ecosystems in the EU to be in good condition by 2050, in line with the EU Soil Strategy 2030. All delegations welcomed the proposal and expressed general support for the targets proposed. There was a common understanding that the provision of flexibility was key to take into account specific national and regional characteristics and allow existing national monitoring systems to adapt to the provisions in the proposal.

Bulgaria welcomes the concept of establishing a monitoring framework and conditions for action to manage soils sustainably and to address damage resulting from soil degradation. "The future monitoring framework will make a significant contribution to halting degradation processes and will stimulate scientific and industrial research that will help analyse trends in drought and disaster management and resilience to these phenomena," underlined Minister Popov.

The Council agreed on a common approach on the proposal for a regulation on packaging and packaging waste as a basis for starting negotiations with the European Parliament. The legislative proposal aims to prevent the generation of packaging waste, promote recycling and create a market for secondary raw materials. The general approach by the Council ensures a balance between the ambition of the legislative proposal to reduce and prevent the generation of packaging waste and, at the same time, allowing sufficient flexibility to member states in the implementation of the regulation.

During the meeting, Minister Popov presented information on the high-level event held at the Bulgarian Pavilion at COP28 in Dubai, organized jointly by the Bulgarian government and UNICEF and dedicated to youth and climate action. The Minister emphasized the UNICEF Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action and the role of governments in promoting children's inalienable right to a healthy environment, as well as the need to take steps to incorporate these rights into the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Minister Popov called on Member States that have not yet joined the Declaration to do so.

The meeting is to continue with a debate on the proposal for a Regulation on a monitoring framework for sustainable European forests. Bulgaria will highlight the importance of forests and forest ecosystems in addressing environmental challenges, while sharing an understanding of the need to enhance forest resilience.