The first priority of the Presidency in terms of sustainable development is the implementation of the conclusions of the European Council of Gothenburg and the concretisation of the European Sustainable Development Strategy adopted in Gothenburg last June.

The European Council of Gothenburg decided the broad strokes of the Strategy, while referring the proposed objectives and priority measures contained in the Commission�s communication of 20 May 2001 back to its Council for further examination. It is therefore for the two sectoral formations of the Council to concretise the strategy. The Presidency has already presented a "trend chart" to the General Business Council, drawing up the inventory of actions to be taken by the various formations of the Council. The General Business Council, who has been given a co-ordinating role, will take regular stock of the situation.

The most urgent action in the light of following up on the Gothenburg Strategy is the adoption of a list of sustainable development environmental indicators, to complete the social and economic indicators of the Lisbon process. In effect, the European Council is committed to an annual assessment, in the course of its spring meetings, of the Strategy�s implementation on the basis of the indicators to be examined by the Commission in its briefing report. To enable an initial assessment to be made, as envisaged, at the European Council of Barcelona, prior to the world sustainable development summit of Johannesburg, the key indicators should be decided before the end of the Belgian Presidency.

This is why the Presidency intends to submit the dossier to the Environment Council of 29 October 2001. Draft conclusions and a list of indicators based on earlier work of the Commission, the Council, and the European Environment Agency have been developed for this purpose and submitted to the scrutiny of the Council�s Environment Group.

Furthermore, the Belgian Presidency is working on its preparation of the Johannesburg Summit by defending the EU positions on the national stage, particularly in the context of the regional preparatory process initiated by the United Nations� Economic Committee for Europe. At the ministerial regional conference that was held in Geneva on 24-25 September, the EU succeeded in having all the subjects that it considers to be priority included on the summit�s agenda by means of the ECC-UNO Ministerial Declaration. In particular, it supported the idea of a new North/South pact ("Global Deal") for re-energising sustainable development at the world level. An important effort of negotiation still lies ahead by the subsequent presidencies in order to arrive at consensus concerning the concrete actions to be taken with regard to these various priority subjects. The EU should set an example by adopting concrete sustainable development measures, both in the Union�s internal and external policies, before 2002.

In keeping with the strategic orientations in terms of climate change, such as decided by the numerous conclusions of the European Council and the Environment Council, the Belgian Presidency is simultaneously working on three complementary objectives:

• To obtain final agreement on all the terms and conditions of the Kyoto Protocol implemented within the conference of the parties to the United Nations� Framework Agreement on Climate Change during its next meeting in Marrakech, on the basis of the political agreement of Bonn.
• The concretisation of the substantial progress as far as developing joint, co-ordinated policies and measures is concerned for the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, on the basis of existing proposals that the Commission has already announced.
• The ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by the EU and its Member States in 2002.

Because of the firm, common position of the EU and the co-operation of the developing countries, we were able to obtain in Bonn in July an historical political accord that opens the way for the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, despite the opposition of the United States and the reluctance of certain other OECD countries. It is now a question of translating this political accord into legal texts for adoption at the next Marrakech meeting. Everything has to be done to enable the Protocol�s ratification process to be successfully concluded in 2002, and this file will remain the main priority of the Belgian Presidency in terms of sustainable development.

Apart from following up on international negotiations, the Presidency is also intending to push forward within the EU the implementation of community measures in the fight against climate change. The final report of the European Climate Change Programme of June 2001, on the subject of policies and measures at the community level, which involved the co-operation of the Commission�s various relevant DGs, the member States and the "stakeholders" (Industry and NGOs), has achieved consensus on effective measures from the economic point of view that need to be concretised without delay.

The Presidency has started work on the proposed directive on the energy efficiency of buildings and hopes to reach political agreement on this measure at the Energy Council of 04 December 2001.

Furthermore, the Presidency is endeavouring to accelerate the work of the Commission so that the framework directive on the exchanges of emission rights within the EU, already announced by the Commission, can still be examined by the Environment Council under Belgian�s Presidency.

Finally, the Belgian Presidency is continuing its work within the Ecofin Council to advance the tax file on energy products, an indispensable instrument for achieving SRG reductions, which has been on the Council�s agenda for a number of years. If consensus can be reached within the Council, Belgium would envisage the possibilities of stronger co-operation in this field.

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