Slovinské předsednictví Rady EU: Ministři životního prostředí EU diskutovali vztah mezi biodiverzitou a změnou klimatu

The priorities of the Slovenian Presidency set in the field of environment are combating climate change and care for biodiversity, and today’s informal meeting was the opportunity for the synthesis of both, declared Janez Podobnik, the President of the EU Environment Council and the Slovenian Minister of the Environment. The topic of the meeting coincides with the important EU decisions in the context of the climate and energy package.

In the past, Europe was seriously affected by forest fires and storms which may also cause the loss of human lives and property, as well as great environmental damage. Healthy and sustainably managed forests can represent a valuable opportunity for mitigation in the fight against climate change through the provision of vital environmental services. The Minister therefore outlined to the other ministers the centuries-long experience of good forest management in Slovenia. “The forest management field gave us the Slovenian term for “sustainable”, whose present meaning implies also the management in a way conserving biodiversity as well as combating famine and poverty," declared Minister Podobnik.

The role forests play is therefore exceptional. It is an important role in stabilisation of the climate change on Earth and in water and local weather phenomena regulation. Climate change impacts on forests are different while forests are also threatened by storms and fires. Considering the current debates on sustainable criteria for biofules, Minister Podobnik noted that at present, in order to establish criteria, an intensive expert discussion is held at the level of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Council. “It is our wish for the criteria to be precise, universal and provable while they should not exclude competitiveness,” emphasised Minister Podobnik at the press conference. Regarding the open issues raised in the current debate at the level of the Ad Hoc Working Group, namely the question of the greenhouse gas savings and inclusion of social criteria, Minister Podobnik said that the debate held at Brdo addressed only the criteria of the biodiversity protection.