The 18-month Programme of the German, Portuguese and Slovenian Presidencies identifies the main cross-cutting themes to the exercise of the three Presidencies, allowing for a coordinated action on the main issues. Due to its relevance and expected developments they will be subject to, the shared document identifies as specific priorities in the environmental domain the following areas: climate change, biodiversity, environmental technologies and international environmental government. Regarding spatial planning and regional development, the programme highlights the foreseen activities on structural and cohesion policy and urban policy.

Regarding climate change, the Programme recognises that it represents one of the great challenges for the future, remaining a high profile priority for the Union, which is determined to take a lead in the global efforts to address it.

Between January 2007 and June 2008 discussions on the following questions will be taken forward: the EU position for a balanced and fair post-2012 regime; the further development of the European Climate Change Programme and the integration of air transport in emission trading. The shared Programme also points out the need to increase efforts in particular regarding CO2 emissions from vehicles and in further developing carbon capture and storage as well as sustainable forest management.

At the external level the three Presidencies will contribute to ensure the EU's leading role in the international fora, in particular at the 2007 Conference and meeting of the Parties to the United Nations Climate Change Framework Convention and Kyoto Protocol.

Water scarcity and drought will be important issues to be addressed as well, to which the Portuguese Presidency will devote particular attention. 

Regarding biodiversity, the main purpose of the three Presidencies' work will be the promotion and implementation of measures based on the Commission Communication on «Halting Biodiversity Loss by 2010 – and Beyond» and its Action Plan.

At the international level, during the 18-month period, several Conferences of the Parties will take place in which it is the running Presidency's responsibility to coordinate the EU position. Regarding the 9th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity which will be held in 2008, EU's priorities include progress in access and benefit sharing issues, forest biodiversity and protected areas, including marine biodiversity as well as financing of global nature protection.
 
Particular attention will also be given to the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol where the issues of liability and redress and capacity building will be among the most important subjects. Furthermore, the Presidencies will prepare the Conference of the Parties to CITES in June 2007, the meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in late 2008.

In the area of environmental technologies, further implementation of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan will remain a high priority with a view to a more eco-innovative policy of the EU. The Council will deal with the different proposals aiming at further reducing exhaust emissions and noise emissions from cars and non-road mobile machinery.

On the subject of international environmental governance the three Presidencies give high priority to the exploration of a more coherent institutional framework for environmental activities within the UN system. The three Presidencies will continue promoting the EU position on the transformation of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) into a UN specialised agency or UNEO.

The Union will continue to work to ensure a high level of protection of the environment. Therefore, in the context of the 6th Environment Action Programme, work in the framework of the Thematic Strategies on air, waste, marine environment and the sustainable use of natural resources will be advanced and the work on the soil and the pesticides strategies will be taken forward.

In the structural and cohesion policy area, during the exercise of the three presidencies the new financing period for EU structural funds will start off. The debate on the Cohesion Policy will also be initiated, based on the analysis and evaluation of the preceding programming period, as presented by the Commission's 4th Cohesion Report.

Territorial cohesion and the contribution of regional policy aiming at the achievement of the Lisbon and EU Sustainable Development Strategies, will be addressed, namely at informal ministerial meetings.

The Presidencies also believe that an integrated urban policy is a prerequisite for sustainable cities and the implementation of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy and commit themselves to work towards the dovetailing of regional and urban policies with sectoral policies.