EEB Input to the EU Environmental Council Meeting, June 2025
The Environmental Council is responsible for all aspects of EU environmental policy, from environmental protection, resource use, and the protection of human health, along with international environmental issues, especially in regard to climate change. The European Commission is represented in meetings by the Commissioner for the Environment and the Commissioner for Climate Action, with environment ministers from each EU member state.
The Council and the European Parliament are responsible for the adoption of environmental legislation that protects natural habitats, keeps air and water clean, ensures proper waste disposal, improves knowledge about toxic chemicals, and helps businesses move towards a sustainable economy. Internationally, the EU and member states work to ensure that the EU environmental standards are reflected in international environmental and climate change agreements. The Council is responsible for preparing EU positions for international conferences and climate change negotiations.
The main agenda for the Environmental Council Meeting on June 17th in Luxembourg includes:
· End-of-life vehicles
- Expected to reach an agreement on the Council’s position regarding a new regulation that will replace the current directive on end-of-life vehicles, as well as on reusability, recyclability, and recoverability
- The goal is to improve the sustainability and circularity of the automotive sector
· EU at COP30 – stocktake and road ahead
- Exchange views on the preparations for the 30th UN Conference on Climate Change
Before every EU Environmental Council meeting, the European Environmental Bureau publishes a letter, addressing all Environment Ministers of each member state, the Commission President, Executive Vice-President for the Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, and Commissioners for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, Energy and Housing, Health and Animal Welfare, and the Chair of the European Parliament Environment Committee. The letter describes input by the EEB on the agenda of the EU Environmental Council meeting, including demands and a vision of what is necessary for a sustainable and resilient EU.
In the letter ahead of the 17 June Council, the EEB lists the following headlines and recommendations:
1. Regulation on Circularity requirements for vehicle design and on management of end-of-life vehicles (General Approach)
· Calls on the Council to ensure that regulation on circularity requirements for vehicle design includes specific measures to address the number and size of vehicles on the market, as well as the overall material use and footprint of the sector.
· Strengthen measures on eco-design, repair, and reuse with minimum availability periods for spare parts and software updates, ensuring key components such as electric vehicle batteries are repairable.
· Facilitate reuse and ensure high-quality recycling and recovery of critical materials at End-of-Life through mandatory disassembly and dismantling of materials and components over shredding and post-shredding technology.
· Coordinate the Circularity Passport for vehicles with other Digital Product Passports as proposed under the Eco-design for Sustainable Product Regulation and Batteries Regulation
· Ensure full Extended Producer Responsibility beyond the End-of-Life and EU borders
2. COP 30 (and EU NDC)
· The EU should live up to the promises made of submitting NDCs that reflect increased ambition
· The 2040 target should be between 90% and 95%, and only based on domestic emissions reductions
· Launch a Global Just Transition Mechanism and agree on Just Transition policies, including social protection for those losing jobs and income, re-skilling, community investment, and cleaning up polluted areas
3. Danish Council Presidency Programme
· The Danish Council Presidency will take over from Poland, and fall under priorities, namely “A Strong and Secure Europe, a Prosperous and Competitive Europe, and a Free and Democratic Europe”
· Safeguarding human security through shielding citizens from climate impacts, pollution, harmful chemicals, and health crises; access to affordable healthcare; protecting from misinformation and disinformation; protecting civic space; and more.
· Harness climate and nature-positive solutions and boos industrial innovation as other countries are backtracking form global climate commitments.
· Calling on the Council to ensure that the Danish Presidency can ensure progress on the implementation of the European Green Deal in times of disinformation and disruptive foreign influence.
4. Water Resilience Strategy
· Member States must support the recommendations from the Commission’s Water Resilience Strategy, including:
- Recognizing that the EU water acquis and Green Deal provide a strong basis for water resilience
- Prioritize the potential of ecosystems to store, purify, release, and restore water through nature-based solutions
- Apply Water Efficiency First principles
- Implement the polluter pays principle to prevent pollution at the source, including by proper water pricing
The letter also calls for the EU to remain committed to supporting Ukraine against Russia’s illegal aggression, welcoming the roadmap laid out by the Commission to phase out fossil fuels, pushing Europe to build strong and fair partnerships to acquire renewable energy from reliable partners also focused on sustainability and resilience.
The goal of these letters to the Environmental Council is to allow the European Environmental Bureau and the EU to work together in creating a sustainable and just future. Through insights and recommendations, the EEB aims to help the Environmental Council’s deliberations, decisions, and wider responsibilities.
by Sarah Boruchov, Intern
Information on the Environmental Council
Input to the EU Environment Council Meeting, Luxembourg, 17 June 2025