The year’s final meeting of environment ministers from the European Union’s member states will feature just a single vote, on water policy. 

On Monday (17 December), the ministers will adopt conclusions on the European Commission’s blueprint to safeguard Europe’s water resources, released earlier this year. The Commission says that water policy should be a priority during 2013. The conclusions will call on member states to take the measures outlined in the blueprint into account when dealing with all policies that might affect water.

Ministers will hold their first debate on the Commission’s proposal for a seventh Environmental Action Programme. They will also discuss ideas to make the European semester – the EU’s yearly cycle of economic-policy co-ordination – more environmentally friendly.

The results of last week’s United Nations climate summit in Doha (see page 7) will also be discussed.

Cyprus, which holds the rotating presidency of the EU’s Council of Ministers, will give updates on progress with new priority substances that are to be restricted in water, the environmental assessments directive, and a mechanism for monitoring and reporting greenhouse-gas emissions.