The EU Council's Working Party on International Environment Issues (Biosafety) will hold an informal videoconference on 17 July 2026 at 10:00, according to a notice of meeting and provisional agenda published by the Council on 13 July 2026. The meeting will focus on the Irish Presidency's work roadmap, recent compliance outcomes, and preparations for upcoming international biodiversity and biosafety meetings.
The Irish Presidency will present a roadmap for its work, and a Bureau member will report from the COP Bureau. The Presidency will also present an updated table of notifications and report outcomes of the 21st meeting of the Compliance Committee under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, which took place in Montreal, Canada, from 10 to 12 June 2026.
Preparations for the 28th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA28), scheduled for 27 July to 1 August 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, will cover organisational matters and synthetic biology orientation lines (agenda item 5). Similarly, preparations for the 7th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI7), set for 4 to 12 August 2026 in Nairobi, will include a draft position paper on the Cartagena Protocol's effectiveness and midterm evaluation (agenda item 6), with discussion.
Additionally, the working party will prepare for the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the 12th Meeting of the Parties (COP-MOP12) to the Cartagena Protocol, and the 6th Meeting of the Parties (COP-MOP6) to the Nagoya Protocol, all taking place in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 to 30 October 2026. This includes discussion of draft Council conclusions on the Cartagena Protocol.
The meeting is informal and will be held via videoconference, reflecting ongoing remote working practices within the Council preparatory bodies. No decisions are expected; the agenda is primarily for information and discussion to align EU positions ahead of the international meetings.