Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

A number of European experts groups are involved in preparing international negotiations on a wide range of climate change topics. These groups are coordinated by the rotating Presidency. As part of this role, Belgium will organise a series of workshops during which groups of experts will examine, at a technical level and in their fields of expertise, items which are currently the topic of negotiations and formulate proposals for European positions.

At the European level, the preparatory work for the international negotiations on climate change are taking place within the framework of a work group of the Environment Council (WPIEI/CC). This group, chaired by the rotating Presidency of the Council, is backed in its work by a number of groups of experts who study, from a technical standpoint, the various themes covered by the “climate” negotiations. There are currently 12 groups of experts. They deal, respectively, with the following topics: Long-term action, Adaptation, Technology transfer, Investments and financial flows, Changes in land use and forestry, Flexibility mechanisms, Reporting, Science, Legal matters, International transport, Budgets, and Modelling.

Each of the groups is led by a team of experts from the ranks of the Presidency. A workshop will be organised for each of the groups of experts over the semester during which the topics covered by the group will be the subject of in-depth technical discussions with the goal of feeding into European political positions. The emphasis at the workshops will also be on coordinating work between groups of experts, and on the links to be established between the various themes. The workshops will also provide an opportunity to invite outside participants from the academic, political, industrial and other fields, depending on the subjects covered.