EU environment ministers prepare for UN Climate Conference and aim to reach common approach to regulation on circularity requirements for vehicles

The EU Environment Council will meet in Luxembourg on Tuesday 17 June. At the Council, the ministers will exchange views on the preparations for the UN Climate Conference (COP30) to be held in Belém, Brazil. The aim is also to reach a common approach, i.e. the position of the Member States, concerning the Regulation on circularity requirements for vehicle design and on management of end-of-life vehicles. Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala will represent Finland at the meeting.

COP30 will be a significant milestone just before the 10th anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement. The countries should update their national emission reduction targets before the conference in Brazil. Finland has stressed that the EU should agree on its own climate target for 2040 soon enough.

“It is important that the Commission would give its proposal for amending the EU Climate Law within the next few weeks so that an agreement on it could be reached in the autumn. The EU can urge other countries to make emission reduction commitments only if our own contribution to these efforts has been decided,” Minister Multala says. 

The key theme to be negotiated in Belém will be the global indicators for climate change adaptation. Work to promote the negotiations will be done at the level of public officials in Bonn, Germany on 16–26 June.

Finland supports regulation on circularity requirements for vehicles, proposal has proceeded in good direction

The Commission gave a proposal for a Regulation on circularity requirements for vehicle design and on management of end-of-life vehicles in July 2023. The June Environment Council aims to adopt the Member State’s common position, based on the compromise proposed by the Presidency. At the next stage of the negotiations, the Commission, Parliament and Council will negotiate on the matter to coordinate their positions.

The regulation would promote the design and production of vehicles in accordance with the circular economy, increase the reuse of the parts of end-of-life vehicles and improve the quality of recycled materials obtained from end-of-life vehicles. The regulation would also extend producer responsibility and waste management requirements for end-of-life vehicles to new vehicle categories such as buses, coaches, lorries, trailers and motorcycles, besides passenger cars and vans.

Finland supports the objectives of the regulation. During the negotiations amendments were made in the proposal that were also positive from the Finnish perspective, which is why Finland approved the latest compromise proposed by the Presidency. Finland was active in advocating, for example, that hobby activities related to old vehicles of cultural or historical interest should continue to be possible, and these efforts were successful. Finland has also considered it necessary to reduce unnecessary administrative burden and to allow room for manoeuvre to Member States in implementing producer responsibility.

In connection with the Environment Council, Minister Multala will have bilateral meetings with Lars Aagard, Minister for Climate of Denmark, which is the next country to hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU, new Environment Minister of Germany Carsten Schneider and Minister for Ecological Transition of France Agnés Pannier-Runacher to discuss the EU’s 2040 climate target.

Inquiries

Marjo Nummelin (UN Climate Conference)
Senior Ministerial Adviser
tel. +358 295 250 227
firstname.lastname@gov.fi

Eini Lemmelä (Regulation on circularity requirements for vehicles)
Senior Specialist, Ministry of the Environment
tel. +358 295 250 032
firstname.lastname@gov.fi