The European Parliament adopted by 618 votes to 45 with 25 abstentions, a resolution in response to the Commission’s communication on building a Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) between the European Union and poor developing countries most vulnerable to climate change.

The own-initiative report had been tabled for consideration in plenary by Anders WIJKMAN (EPP-ED, SE) on behalf of the Committee on Development.

Although Parliament welcomes the Commission’s initiative, it calls on it to clarify further the distinct added value of the alliance. According to MEPs, the coordination and cooperation with other main actors must be an integral part of the GCCA's agenda, so as to ensure optimal complementarity among initiatives.

Climate change and development : Parliament calls on the EU to place climate change at the core of its development cooperation policy. The alliance should take concrete measures to address coherence between, on one hand, the impact of climate change on development, including EU agriculture, trade and fisheries policies and, on the other hand, problems relating to export subsidies, such as tied aid, debt burden, export credits and commercial use of food aid, forced privatisation and liberalisation of vital economic sectors.

Noting that efforts to combat climate change need to be based not only on political impetus but also on civil society, in both developed and developing countries, Parliament considers that public information campaigns should be launched and education programmes in schools and universities adopted both to provide citizens with analyses and evaluations of the state of climate change and to propose appropriate responses, especially in terms of changing lifestyles in order to reduce emissions.

The Commission is called upon to ensure that the alliance’s planned research on adaptation in developing countries has a clear “bottom-up” perspective, is directed towards the poor and most vulnerable, guided by the needs of local communities and carried out in cooperation with the people concerned. Parliament emphasises the importance of results from adaptation research being communicated to its target groups through accessible media channels.

Financing : MEPs stress that Member States must take a much greater responsibility for the funding of and alignment of their development activities with the alliance. They consider the EUR 60 million committed to the GCCA so far to be woefully inadequate and call on the Commission to establish a long-term financing goal for the GCCA of at least EUR 2 billion annually by 2010 and EUR 5-10 billion annually by 2020 .

The Commission is invited to urgently propose what measures to use to scale up EU financial support for climate change and development, ensuring the best possible coordination and complementarity with existing initiatives. The Commission should increase immediate funding for the GCCA, which might initially be achieved, as a matter of urgency, through the

Thematic Program “Environment and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, including Energy” (ENRTP), which falls under the DCI (Development Cooperation Instrument) as well as the 10th EDF.

MEPs call on the Commission and Member States to agree to earmark at least 25% of expected revenues from auctioning within the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) in the next trading period to funding of the GCCA and other climate change measures in developing countries, including efforts to protect forests and reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

New funds : the Parliament stresses that, if climate change is to be taken seriously, new funding must be made available through different budget lines and new financing sources, such as humanitarian funds in response to climate-related catastrophes, Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) funds and the Instrument for Stability in the context of preventive security policy or in response to climate-related security threats or conflicts, other external action funds whenever appropriated, as well as green taxes, public-private partnerships and other innovative financing mechanisms intended for this purpose. Parliament c alls on the Commission to use the upcoming review of the EU budget as an opportunity to re-evaluate the EU's overall spending priorities and channel additional funds to climate change and development in general and the GCCA in particular; including by reallocating Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds.

Reinforce the capacity for partner countries : Parliament calls on the Commission to invite the private sector to become a close partner to the GCCA, recognising that public money could play a catalysing role by incentivising investments and delivering access to markets and technology. It calls on the Commission to use the GCCA to support and strengthen partner countries' capacities to identify, manage and mitigate security threats posed by climate change and encourages the Commission to devote additional funds to this purpose. The Commission is also called upon to use the GCCA to initiate discussions both with the donor community and with partner countries on increasing preparedness and contingency planning for large-scale migration in the event that certain regions become uninhabitable due to climate change.

Complementary initiatives : the Commission is invited to develop urgently ambitious complementary policy initiatives, particularly in the fields of forest and marine protection , sustainable use of natural resources and mitigation technology cooperation , where financial needs widely exceed what is provided for within the GCCA at present. MEPs call for strong EU action in the form of financial support, technical assistance and technology transfer and cooperation to developing countries to facilitate the use, at the earliest stage possible, of technologies which emit little Greenhouse Gas and of environmentally friendly production methods. In this context, the Commission is asked to revise its proposal for sustainability criteria for biofuels and to urgently develop a comprehensive agenda to reduce deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries. It is also invited to use the Alliance to develop agricultural policies and production methods which better meet the needs of local population and constitute a long-term solution to the soaring food prices.

The Council held a policy debate on the international financial architecture for combating climate change, relating to:

the principles governing the definition and implementation of the post-2012 international financial architecture for combating climate change, the instruments of that financial architecture, including the role of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), possibilities for conditionality, particularly for the large emerging countries.

The Council affirms the EU's resolve to build a wide coalition for the future of the planet bringing together in particular the EU and those countries which are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. To this end, it highlights its intention to strengthen its partnership with Africa, the Least Developed Countries and the small island developing States so as to ensure that these regions benefit from the provisions of the Copenhagen agreement and can ensure growth, access to clean energy and the eradication of poverty with a view to their sustainable development. It welcomes in this respect the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) endorsed by the June 2008 European Council which constitutes a comprehensive political dialogue and cooperation framework.

The Committee on Development adopted the own-initiative report by Anders WIJKMAN (EPP-ED, SE), in response to the Commission’s communication on building a Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) between the European Union and poor developing countries most vulnerable to climate change.

Although MEPs welcome the Commission’s initiative, they call on it to clarify further the distinct added value of the alliance. According to them, the coordination and cooperation with other main actors must be an integral part of the GCCA's agenda, so as to ensure optimal complementarity among initiatives.

Climate change and development : the report calls on the EU to place climate change at the core of its development cooperation policy. The alliance should take concrete measures to address coherence between, on one hand, the impact of climate change on development, including EU agriculture, trade and fisheries policies and, on the other hand, problems relating to export subsidies, such as tied aid, debt burden, export credits and commercial use of food aid, forced privatisation and liberalisation of vital economic sectors. The Commission is called upon to ensure that the alliance’s planned research on adaptation in developing countries has a clear “bottom-up” perspective, is directed towards the poor and most vulnerable, guided by the needs of local communities and carried out in cooperation with the people concerned; emphasises the importance of results from adaptation research being communicated to its target groups through accessible media channels.

Financing : MEPs stress that Member States must take a much greater responsibility for the funding of and alignment of their development activities with the alliance. They consider the EUR 60 million committed to the GCCA so far to be woefully inadequate and call on the Commission to establish a long-term financing goal for the GCCA of at least EUR 2 billion annually by 2010 and EUR 5-10 billion annually by 2020 .

The Commission is invited to urgently propose what measures to use to scale up EU financial support for climate change and development, ensuring the best possible coordination and complementarity with existing initiatives. The Commission should increase immediate funding for the GCCA, which might initially be achieved, as a matter of urgency, through the

Thematic Program “Environment and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, including Energy” (ENRTP), which falls under the DCI (Development Cooperation Instrument) as well as the 10th EDF.

New funds : the committee stresses that, if climate change is to be taken seriously, new funding must be made available through different budget lines and new financing sources, such as humanitarian funds in response to climate-related catastrophes, Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) funds and the Instrument for Stability in the context of preventive security policy or in response to climate-related security threats or conflicts, other external action funds whenever appropriated, as well as green taxes, public-private partnerships and other innovative financing mechanisms intended for this purpose.

Reinforce the capacity for partner countries : the report calls on the Commission to invite the private sector to become a close partner to the GCCA, recognising that public money could play a catalysing role by incentivising investments and delivering access to markets and technology. It calls on the Commission to use the GCCA to support and strengthen partner countries' capacities to identify, manage and mitigate security threats posed by climate change and encourages the Commission to devote additional funds to this purpose. The Commission is also called upon to use the GCCA to initiate discussions both with the donor community and with partner countries on increasing preparedness and contingency planning for large-scale migration in the event that certain regions become uninhabitable due to climate change.

Complementary initiatives : the Commission is invited to develop urgently ambitious complementary policy initiatives, particularly in the fields of forest and marine protection , sustainable use of natural resources and mitigation technology cooperation, where financial needs widely exceed what is provided for within the GCCA at present. MEPs call for strong EU action in the form of financial support, technical assistance and technology transfer and cooperation to developing countries to facilitate the use, at the earliest stage possible, of technologies which emit little Greenhouse Gas and of environmentally friendly production methods.

MEPs call on the Commission and Member States to agree to earmark at least 25% of expected revenues from auctioning within the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) in the next trading period, for funding of the GCCA and other climate change measures in developing countries. In this context, the Commission is asked to revise its proposal for sustainability criteria for biofuels and to urgently develop a comprehensive agenda to reduce deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries.

PURPOSE: to establish a Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) between the EU and poor developing countries most vulnerable to climate change.

BACKGROUND: according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), most regions in the world, and especially those in the developing world, will be increasingly affected by climate change. Projections show that the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will be hit earliest and hardest. Moreover, these countries have the fewest resources to prepare for these alterations, and to adapt their way of life. Climate change is therefore likely to further delay the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in many of these countries.

The European Union has taken a leadership role in promoting international action to tackle climate change. The Spring Council 2007 put forward concrete proposals for a post-2012 climate change agreement and committed to significant cuts in the EU's greenhouse gas emissions. The Alliance will provide for a platform for dialogue and exchange as well as practical cooperation to tackle the combined challenge of the fight against poverty and climate change, in support of the international negotiations on a post-2012 climate change agreement and the adoption of effective action at national level.

CONTENT: assistance provided under the Global Climate Change Alliance is proposed to focus on five areas :

Implementing concrete adaptation measures : supporting the implementation of adaptation action plans in LDCs and SIDS effectively committed to taking measures to respond to climate change; financing pilot adaptation projects focussing on the water and agricultural sectors, as well as on sustainable management of natural resources; supporting international collaborative research on the impacts of climate change in developing countries and regions. Reducing emissions from deforestation : about 20% of global CO2 emissions are caused by deforestation. In LDCs, 62% of total emissions originate in land-use change, primarily deforestation. The objective is to create economic incentives for forest protection, while preserving livelihoods and ecosystems depending on forests. Helping developing countries to benefit from the global carbon market, through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) : the geographic distribution of CDM projects remains uneven. The bulk of the projects are currently located in Asia and Central/South America. Both capacity building and technical support are needed to increase the participation of LDCs and SIDS in the CDM. Improving the preparedness of developing countries for natural disasters : improving climate monitoring, forecasting, and information systems; information sharing, knowledge management, early warning, and contingency planning; measures to help disaster-prone developing countries implement the Hyogo Framework, including building resilience and risk-sharing approaches (e.g. insurance schemes). Integrating climate change into development cooperation strategies and poverty reduction efforts : the objective is to assist developing countries in systematically integrating climate change into development strategies and investments and into development cooperation.

In terms of funding, the Commission recalls that it already earmarked EUR 50 million to the GCCA over the period 2008-2010. But substantially more resources are needed to provide a response that adequately responds to the needs. Therefore, an appeal is made to the EU Member States to dedicate part of their agreed commitments to increase Official Development Assistance over the coming years to the cause of coping with climate change in the most vulnerable countries. The collective effort could take the form of a joint GCCA financing mechanism managed by the Commission and governed in such a way as to reflect the participation of the Commission and the Member States.

PURPOSE: to establish a Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) between the EU and poor developing countries most vulnerable to climate change.

BACKGROUND: according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), most regions in the world, and especially those in the developing world, will be increasingly affected by climate change. Projections show that the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will be hit earliest and hardest. Moreover, these countries have the fewest resources to prepare for these alterations, and to adapt their way of life. Climate change is therefore likely to further delay the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in many of these countries.

The European Union has taken a leadership role in promoting international action to tackle climate change. The Spring Council 2007 put forward concrete proposals for a post-2012 climate change agreement and committed to significant cuts in the EU's greenhouse gas emissions. The Alliance will provide for a platform for dialogue and exchange as well as practical cooperation to tackle the combined challenge of the fight against poverty and climate change, in support of the international negotiations on a post-2012 climate change agreement and the adoption of effective action at national level.

CONTENT: assistance provided under the Global Climate Change Alliance is proposed to focus on five areas :

Implementing concrete adaptation measures : supporting the implementation of adaptation action plans in LDCs and SIDS effectively committed to taking measures to respond to climate change; financing pilot adaptation projects focussing on the water and agricultural sectors, as well as on sustainable management of natural resources; supporting international collaborative research on the impacts of climate change in developing countries and regions. Reducing emissions from deforestation : about 20% of global CO2 emissions are caused by deforestation. In LDCs, 62% of total emissions originate in land-use change, primarily deforestation. The objective is to create economic incentives for forest protection, while preserving livelihoods and ecosystems depending on forests. Helping developing countries to benefit from the global carbon market, through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) : the geographic distribution of CDM projects remains uneven. The bulk of the projects are currently located in Asia and Central/South America. Both capacity building and technical support are needed to increase the participation of LDCs and SIDS in the CDM. Improving the preparedness of developing countries for natural disasters : improving climate monitoring, forecasting, and information systems; information sharing, knowledge management, early warning, and contingency planning; measures to help disaster-prone developing countries implement the Hyogo Framework, including building resilience and risk-sharing approaches (e.g. insurance schemes). Integrating climate change into development cooperation strategies and poverty reduction efforts : the objective is to assist developing countries in systematically integrating climate change into development strategies and investments and into development cooperation.

In terms of funding, the Commission recalls that it already earmarked EUR 50 million to the GCCA over the period 2008-2010. But substantially more resources are needed to provide a response that adequately responds to the needs. Therefore, an appeal is made to the EU Member States to dedicate part of their agreed commitments to increase Official Development Assistance over the coming years to the cause of coping with climate change in the most vulnerable countries. The collective effort could take the form of a joint GCCA financing mechanism managed by the Commission and governed in such a way as to reflect the participation of the Commission and the Member States.