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As of: June 2009

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Chronology of the Environmental Code (UGB)

11 March 2009 The Federal Cabinet adopts four draft acts for the reorganisation of environmental legislation.
4 March 2009 The coalition committee once more fails to agree on the Environmental Code. However, coalition parties open up the way for the adoption of parts of the Environmental Code as individual pieces of legislation.
1 Feb. 2009 Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel declares that efforts to introduce an Environmental Code have failed.
30 Jan. 2009 Last attempt to rescue Environmental Code fails: Minister-President Seehofer insists on full right of derogation for the Länder. This would enable the Länder to stipulate that previous authorisation processes are applied instead of integrated project authorisation, leading to two different authorisation systems existing in parallel in Germany. The result would be a bureaucratic nightmare.
26 Jan. 2009 Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel travels to Munich to find a solution for controversial elements of the Environmental Code with Bavaria's Minister-President Seehofer.
20 Jan. 2009 The Committee on Environment of the Bundestag debates the Environmental Code. All parliamentary groups are highly concerned.
Dec. 2008 / Jan. 2009 Meetings and discussions to rescue the Environmental Code.
11 Dec. 2008 Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group Kauder and head of the CSU Land group Ramsauer send a joint letter to Environment Minister Gabriel: BMU concessions not sufficient; demands include an integrated project authorisation not encompassing all environmental goods.
8 Dec. 2008 BMU declares its willingness in writing to the CDU/CSU parliamentary group to accept about three quarters of the proposals.
4/5 Dec. 2008 Meeting between Environment Minister Gabriel and chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group Kauder and head of the CSU Land group Ramsauer. Following this meeting, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group submits a list of controversial elements with 28 individual, partly new demands.
25 Nov. 2008 Remaining differences are clarified at a meeting at minister level between Federal Chancellery, Ministry of Economics, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Ministry of Justice and Environment Ministry; Ministry of Economics and Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection no longer object to integrated project authorisation encompassing all environmental goods.
Beginning of July 2008 onwards Revised drafts of Environmental Code are sent out to ministries for final review. More than 300 of the ministries' proposals for amendments (in particular from Ministry of Economics and Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection) are dealt with during difficult and long discussions at all levels.
17 - 25 June 2008 Hearing of associations and Länder; subsequent revision of the drafts of the Environmental Code taking account of results of hearing.
5/6 June 2008 Conference of environment ministers of the Länder (UMK) once more declares support – this time unanimously – for integrated project authorisation encompassing all environmental goods.
23 May 2008 Formal sending out of Environmental Code drafts to Länder and associations; key result of previous interministerial coordination: concept of integrated project authorisation encompassing all environmental goods remains fundamental concept of Environmental Code draft.
End of Nov. 2007 BMU presents ministry draft for Environmental Code, start of interministerial coordination.
15/16 Nov. 2007 Large majority of conference of environment ministers advocates an Environmental Code with an integrated project authorisation encompassing all environmental goods.
5 July 2006 BMU presents Environmental Code key points paper in cabinet.
May 2006 Conference of environment ministers of the Länder (UMK), chaired by Baden-Wuerttemberg, sets up a Federal/Länder working group UGB in which Environmental code drafts by the BMU are coordinated with the Länder.
Nov. 2005 Coalition agreement envisages drawing up an Environmental Code including integrated project authorisation: "We want to replace the different licensing procedures with an integrated project authorisation in the context of an environmental code."