1 Eu Environment Sub-Committee Contents
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House of Lords London European Union Committee SW1A 0PW www.parliament.uk/hleu The primary purpose of the House of Lords European Union Select Committee is to scrutinise EU law in draft before the Government take a position on it in the EU Council of Ministers. This scrutiny is frequently carried out through correspondence with Ministers. Such correspondence, including Ministerial replies and other materials, is published where appropriate. This edition includes correspondence from 1 November – 31 December 2020 EU ENVIRONMENT SUB-COMMITTEE CONTENTS PROPOSAL FOR A REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL AMENDING REGULATION (EU) 2018/848 ON ORGANIC PRODUCTION AS REGARDS ITS DATE OF APPLICATION AND CERTAIN OTHER DATES REFERRED TO IN THAT REGULATION (COM (2020) 483) ...........3 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: The European Green Deal (15051/19) .................................4 Proposal for a Regulation on the establishment of a Programme for the Union's action in the field of health –for the period 2021-2027 (“EU4Health Programme”) (41321) (COM(20) 405) ..............................................................................................................5 Recommendation for a Council Decision to authorise the Commission to open negotiations on behalf of the European Union for the conclusion of the Fisheries Agreement with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Kingdom of Norway (COM(20) 637) ......................................................................................7 RECOMMENDATION FOR A COUNCIL DECISION TO AUTHORISE THE COMMISSION TO OPEN NEGOTIATIONS ON BEHALF OF THE EUROPEAN UNION FOR THE CONCLUSION OF THE FISHERIES AGREEMENT WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND AND THE KINGDOM OF NORWAY (AND ANNEX) (COM(20) 637) ...................... 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PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL REGULATION FIXING FOR 2020 THE FISHING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CERTAIN FISH STOCKS AND GROUPS OF FISH STOCKS, APPLICABLE IN UNION WATERS AND, FOR UNION FISHING VESSELS, IN CERTAIN NON-UNION WATERS (13438/19) ...........................................8 Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on health technology assessment and amending Directive 2011/24/EU (5844/18) .........................................................................................................................................9 1 COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT IMPACT ASSESSMENT Strengthening of the EU Cooperation on Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Accompanying the document Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on health technology assessment and amending Directive 2011/24/EU (5844/18 ADD 1) ...................................................................................................9 COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT Accompanying the document Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on health technology assessment and amending Directive 2011/24/EU (5844/18 ADD 2) ..............................................................9 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on Powering a climate-neutral economy: An EU Strategy for Energy System Integration (COM(20) 299) ........................................... 10 Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the fortieth meeting of the Standing Committee of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Nature Habitats (Bern Convention) (12020/20) ........................................................................................................... 10 Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending Regulation (EU) No 1379/2013 and Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 as regards specific measures to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak in the fishery and aquaculture sector (7153/20) ............................................... 12 COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS: Short-term EU health preparedness for COVID-19 outbreaks (COM(20) 318)..................................... 13 Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1838 as regards certain fishing opportunities for 2020 in the Baltic Sea, and amending Regulation (EU) 2020/123 as regards certain fishing opportunities in 2020 in Union and non-Union waters (8078/20) ........................................................................................... 15 ANNEXES to the Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1838 as regards certain fishing opportunities for 2020 in the Baltic Sea, and amending Regulation (EU) 2020/123 as regards certain fishing opportunities in 2020 in Union and non-Union waters (8078/20 ADD 1) ........................................................... 15 GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE .......................................................................................... 15 Environment and the Level Playing Field .............................................................................. 15 Supply of pharmaceuticals to Northern Ireland.............................................................. 16 North Sea energy cooperation and Net Zero- ................................................................... 17 Fisheries: Remote Electronic Monitoring Call for Evidence ............................................. 21 UK-EU agrifood trade ............................................................................................................... 23 Amending Protocol to UK-Japan Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (NCA) ............... 24 2 PROPOSAL FOR A REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL AMENDING REGULATION (EU) 2018/848 ON ORGANIC PRODUCTION AS REGARDS ITS DATE OF APPLICATION AND CERTAIN OTHER DATES REFERRED TO IN THAT REGULATION (COM (2020) 483) Letter from the Chair to Victoria Prentis MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Thank you for your Explanatory Memorandum on the above proposal, which was considered by our Environment Sub-Committee on 4 November 2020. We are concerned about the ability of Great Britain’s organics producers to continue exporting their products, marketed as organic, to the EU and Northern Ireland after 1 January 2021. Please provide an update on the negotiations for a UK-EU organics equivalence agreement. If there is no UK-EU organics equivalence agreement that results in the UK being listed in the relevant EU Regulation annex, UK control bodies will need to be recognised by the EU for this trade to continue. We would be grateful for an update on the status of the UK control bodies’ applications for EU recognition, and on the Government’s conversations with the European Commission regarding these applications. The Committee continues to take an active interest in this matter and we look forward to a response in 10 working days. 04 November 2020 Letter to the Chair from Victoria Prentis MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Thank you for your letter of 4 November 2020. The Government proposed an organics equivalence agreement in its Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) proposals. Equivalence agreements for organic products, such as the UK has proposed, are a common tool in international trade. Organics is currently included in the UK’s proposed CFTA legal text as a technical annex and the negotiations are ongoing. As you know the six UK control bodies have also applied to the EU for recognition as equivalent for the purpose of trade. We understand that these applications by the individual organic control bodies are progressing, with some control bodies providing additional information to the EU recently (Mid- October). Unfortunately, as the control bodies are private bodies, we are unable to discuss their applications directly with the European Commission. However, we are continuing to monitor the progress of these applications via regular discussions with the control bodies. The decision to recognise the UK control bodies lies solely with the EU and Member States. However, Defra is continuing to engage with the Commission and it remains our objective to negotiate a durable, long-term organics equivalence agreement with the EU. As we have recently informed the EU that we will recognise the EU as equivalent for the purpose of trade in organics until 31 December 2021; we are confident that the EU will take the appropriate actions to recognise the UK control bodies for the export of organic products to the EU. 13 November 2020 Letter from the Chair to Victoria Prentis MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Thank you for your letter dated 13 November on this proposal, which was considered by our Environment Sub-Committee on 25 November. 3 Thank you for setting out the Government’s position on organics equivalence in the UK-EU negotiations and describing your engagement with the UK control bodies regarding their applications for EU recognition. It is important that this issue is resolved positively to ensure Great Britain’s organics producers can continue exporting their products,