Recommendation for a COUNCIL DECISION concerning the participation of the Community in the twentieth meeting of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats

(presented by the Commission)

I. SUBJECT

The Bern Convention concerns the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats. This objective falls within Article 174 of the EC Treaty, which refers to preserving, protecting and improving the quality of the environment.

The Community approved this Convention by Council Decision 82/72/EEC [1].

[1] JO L 38, 10.2.1982.

The twentieth meeting of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention will be held in Strasbourg from 27 November to 1 December 2000.

The Commission will conduct negotiations with the Member States during this meeting in accordance with negotiating Directives.

II. RECOMMENDATION

In the light of the above, the Commission recommends that the Council decide:

- that, in respect of matters falling within its competence, the Community will participate, under the Bern Convention, in the negotiations conducted during the twentieth meeting of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention.

The Commission will conduct these negotiations in consultation with a committee of representatives of the Member States, either in Brussels or on the spot in accordance with the negotiating Directives referred to below

- that, insofar as the Convention also covers aspects not falling within the Community's competence, the Commission and the Member States will ensure a united front in the international representation of the Community by means of close cooperation during the negotiating process.

Negotiating Directives

(a) The Commission will ensure that the decisions of the Standing Committee are consistent with Community legislation in this area and with the relevant international rules that the Community is required to observe.

(b) The Commission will report to the Council on the outcome of the negotiations and, where appropriate, on any problems which might arise in the course of those negotiations.