The European Parliament adopted a resolution welcoming the decision taken at Buenos Aires to hold a Seminar of Governmental Experts, but regretting that the Tenth Conference of Parties, in spite of the efforts of the EU delegation, only agreed a very narrow mandate for this meeting. Parliamehnt felt strongly that the EU should retain its leading role in international efforts to fight climate change. A three-prong approach will be necessary to underpin the EU's climate policy at home:

- yearly reductions in the energy intensity of the EU economy in the range of 2-2.5%,

- a significant increase in the share of alternative energy in the overall energy mix and

- substantial increases in the support for R&D in sustainable energy.

The transportation sector presents a major challenge, and innovative policies are needed to curb emissions from road transport, aviation and shipping.

Parliament welcomed the conclusions adopted by the Brussels European Council of 22 and 23 March 2005 and, in particular, the fact that reduction targets in the order of 15-30% by 2020 for the group of developed countries have been agreed upon. With regard to longer-term reduction targets, reductions in the order of 60-80% by 2050 will be required.

The Commission and the Member States are asked to present proposals for a future regime which are consistent with the EU objective of maintaining the average global temperature increase below 2°C above pre-industrialisation levels. This implies that global greenhouse gas emissions would have to peak within the next two decades.

Parliament went on to insist that the Seminar of Governmental Experts focus on how to develop responses to climate change within the framework of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol for the period beyond 2012. A written report on the results of the Seminar must be published so as to provide feed back to the formal negotiations for the post-2012 commitment period which will start in 2005.

A future regime should be based on common but differentiated responsibilities, greater emission reductions, and the involvement of more countries in the reduction effort, notably on the one hand the US, and on the other hand India and China and other advanced developing countries.

Parliament considered that internationally competing companies, in particular energy-intensive industries, require a sector approach to future international reduction targets in order to ensure an international level playing field.

Parliament again called on the US and Australia to reconsider their decision not to participate and, as a first step, to respect their commitment under the UNFCCC to reduce their emissions to the 1990 level.

It went on to insist on the need for increased financial assistance for adjustment measures in developing countries, with special attention for the least-developed countries. Whilst economic development is a right for all developing countries, Parliament recognised that developing countries do not have to repeat the same polluting practices as the industrialised countries. Strong mechanisms should be developed by the EU, e.g. through the export credit agencies of EU Member States, to lend support to technology leap-frogging in the energy and transport sectors of developing countries in order to encourage low-carbon modes of development.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution welcoming the decision taken at Buenos Aires to hold a Seminar of Governmental Experts, but regretting that the Tenth Conference of Parties, in spite of the efforts of the EU delegation, only agreed a very narrow mandate for this meeting. Parliamehnt felt strongly that the EU should retain its leading role in international efforts to fight climate change. A three-prong approach will be necessary to underpin the EU's climate policy at home:

- yearly reductions in the energy intensity of the EU economy in the range of 2-2.5%,

- a significant increase in the share of alternative energy in the overall energy mix and

- substantial increases in the support for R&D in sustainable energy.

The transportation sector presents a major challenge, and innovative policies are needed to curb emissions from road transport, aviation and shipping.

Parliament welcomed the conclusions adopted by the Brussels European Council of 22 and 23 March 2005 and, in particular, the fact that reduction targets in the order of 15-30% by 2020 for the group of developed countries have been agreed upon. With regard to longer-term reduction targets, reductions in the order of 60-80% by 2050 will be required.

The Commission and the Member States are asked to present proposals for a future regime which are consistent with the EU objective of maintaining the average global temperature increase below 2°C above pre-industrialisation levels. This implies that global greenhouse gas emissions would have to peak within the next two decades.

Parliament went on to insist that the Seminar of Governmental Experts focus on how to develop responses to climate change within the framework of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol for the period beyond 2012. A written report on the results of the Seminar must be published so as to provide feed back to the formal negotiations for the post-2012 commitment period which will start in 2005.

A future regime should be based on common but differentiated responsibilities, greater emission reductions, and the involvement of more countries in the reduction effort, notably on the one hand the US, and on the other hand India and China and other advanced developing countries.

Parliament considered that internationally competing companies, in particular energy-intensive industries, require a sector approach to future international reduction targets in order to ensure an international level playing field.

Parliament again called on the US and Australia to reconsider their decision not to participate and, as a first step, to respect their commitment under the UNFCCC to reduce their emissions to the 1990 level.

It went on to insist on the need for increased financial assistance for adjustment measures in developing countries, with special attention for the least-developed countries. Whilst economic development is a right for all developing countries, Parliament recognised that developing countries do not have to repeat the same polluting practices as the industrialised countries. Strong mechanisms should be developed by the EU, e.g. through the export credit agencies of EU Member States, to lend support to technology leap-frogging in the energy and transport sectors of developing countries in order to encourage low-carbon modes of development.