State Secretary for Environmental Affairs Zoltán Illés held discussions in Budapest today with Danish Minister of the Environment Ida Auken on, amongst others, the issues of hazardous materials, GMO crops and sustainable development. Denmark will be taking over the rotating presidency of the EU for the first half of 2012; the meeting involved discussions on the conciliation of environmental priorities. In the interests of the realisation of EU environmental goals, Hungary will be supporting the endeavours of the Danish Presidency.

During the first half of 2012, Denmark will be continuing conciliatory discussions on the regulatory proposals already discussed by previous Presidencies. Of top priority will be the prevention of and protection against serious accidents concerning hazardous materials, the issue of the export an import of dangerous chemicals, and the proposal on the reduction of the sulphur content of fuels used in marine transport. The debate between the member states and the European Parliament on the various proposals for legislation with therefore continue during the Danish Presidency.

The fact that Denmark places special emphasis on the issue of GMOs is also of significant importance to Hungary. One of their goals is for the positions of the member states to converge to some extent on the issue of the proposal for new legislation regarding the freedom of member states with regard to the cultivation of genetically modified organisms.

One of the priorities of the next Presidency will also be accentuated measures on the part of the EU against dangerous chemicals, and the beginning of the debate between member states on the proposal regarding the 7th Environmental Action Programme, which is expected to be issued by the European Commission early next year.

To enable the realisation of the goals of the Europe 2020 Strategy, the Danish Presidency views the implementation of the Resource Efficiency Roadmap and the Eco-innovation Action Plan, which will be issued shortly, as two of their most important tasks. Denmark's environmental programme includes preparations for the international debate on sustainable development, next year's Rio+20 conference.

(Press Office of the Ministry of Rural Development)