The European Union has adopted conclusions on biodiversity for the period beyond 2010 during the meeting of the Environment Council, held in Brussels, according to Spain's Minister of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, Elena Espinosa.

“The Council's conclusions on the issue of biodiversity for the period beyond 2010 have been unanimously accepted, and will enable us to work within the EU with a long-term vision up until 2050, while also setting us intermediate targets for 2020”, she said.

Espinosa added that biodiversity protection is “a goal for the Spanish Presidency”, and that Spain hopes this “will be reflected in the main policies and cross-cutting strategies of the EU as a whole”.

“We have obviously failed to meet the biodiversity objective for 2010, and now we must focus on what we need to do to avoid making the same mistake again”, added the European Commissioner for the Environment, Janez Potocnik.

The EU-27 were also in unanimous agreement about the importance of the role that environmental issues must play in the 2020 strategy.

Reduction of CO2 emissions for lightweight commercial vehicles.

The emissions reduction target for lightweight commercial vehicles, considered of vital importance to the reduction of greenhouse gases for sectors not previously covered by the EU's emissions strategy, could only be realised in the long term.

As confirmed by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment, "the long-term targets and those for the year 2020 are clear; there are no doubts on the part of any of the Member States”, but “the debate surrounding certain more concrete concepts is still not mature enough.”

“We've had a political debate about emissions reductions in lightweight vehicles, but to date the conclusions are not firm. Both the Commission and the Presidency want to continue working to reach a regulation such as the one we have for motor cars", stated Espinosa.