Activites

• 2010/02/10 Results of vote in Parliament
  • Results of vote in Parliament
  • T7-0019/2010 summary

    The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the outcome of the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change (COP 15). The resolution had been tabled by the EPP, S&D, ALDE, Greens/ALE, ECR and GUE/NGL groups.It notes that negotiations ended with a disappointing Accord, which is not legally binding and does not include any emission reduction targets. Parliament  regrets the weakness of the Accord as it brings us no closer to a global comprehensive post-2012 agreement, does not set global mid- or long-term reduction targets, and does not state when global emissions would need to peak. It takes note, furthermore, of the disappointment in the public mind as regards the failure to reach a meaningful agreement in Copenhagen. However, delay in finding international agreement is not a justification for postponing further EU policies to achieve the already legally binding commitment to reduce our emissions by 20% by 2020. Parliament reiterates its desire to move to a 30% reduction, and notes that the initiatives taken within the EU to promote the green economy, energy security and reduced energy dependency will make it increasingly easy to fulfil a 30% reduction commitment. The estimated cost of the EU achieving a 30% cut in 1990 emissions by 2020 is now less than the estimated cost of achieving a 20% cut when that was agreed. Parliament calls on the Commission, therefore, to bring forward a proposal for the EU to raise its ambition and unilaterally to set a 2020 reduction target greater than 20%. It wants the EU to achieve domestic targets through energy savings and renewable energy sources, and calls for an ambitious and binding energy savings target to be agreed as soon as possible;Members express disappointment at the Member States' lack of unity and urge the EU to speak with one voice in international climate negotiations. They also regrets that the EU was not able, through earlier specific commitments to international public finance for climate efforts in developing countries, to build confidence in the negotiations in order to make further progress in the Ad Hoc Working Groups. They call on the EU to clarify its position regarding a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol being conditional on similar commitments being made by the US under another legal instrument and to ensure that surplus AAUs and LULUCF rules do not undermine its environmental integrityParliament underlines that there is a need to create a new 'climate diplomacy';, and it calls on the EU's High Representative and the Commissioner responsible for climate action to lead this strategy, especially with the more progressive developing and emerging countries. The EU and its Member States are urged to:·        agree on a 'Roadmap for Mexico' which will include the discussion of climate policies in every strategic partnership and bilateral and multilateral cooperation agreement in order to create a more coherent external climate protection strategy; ·        build an 'Alliance of Responsibility', open to all countries that consider climate change as a major threat to humanity and are prepared to act in order to stop global warming; ·        enforce the principle of 'climate justice' in the long-term perspective 2050 and beyond. Parliament advocates, therefore, an equity clause in future international climate negotiations.Parliament stresses the historical responsibility of developed countries for irreversible climate change and their responsibility to provide sufficient financial and technical support to the developing countries. It stresses the need for the EUR 7.2 billion "fast-start" financial support for developing countries, as pledged by the EU Member States, to be, new and additional to ODA budgets, coordinated at EU level and made operational as soon as possible and in any case before the June 2010 meeting in Bonn. This is a key factor in building confidence for a successful meeting in Mexico. The collective contribution by the EU towards developing countries' mitigation efforts and adaptation needs should not be less than EUR 30 000 million per annum by 2020, a figure that may increase as new knowledge is acquired concerning the severity of climate change and the scale of its costs.The resolution welcomes the ambitious commitment that some developing countries made before, during and after the Copenhagen negotiations. It notes that the Accord found an agreement regarding the verification of developing country mitigation actions that will need to ensure that sovereignty and a proper use of funds are respected. Members regret the lack of progress in tackling global aviation and maritime emissions. They call on the EU to ensure that the full climate impact of aviation is taken into account and that the reduction targets for the aviation and maritime sectors are the same as other industry sectors in the future agreement.Parliament goes on to state that it regrets that the USA and China were not prepared to accept a more ambitious agreement for internal policy reasons. It believes that the EU, the USA and China are key to ensuring a binding international agreement and it urges the US and China, as well as other international partners to come up with further commitments to an international system of climate protection, in order to achieve a legally binding international agreement in line with the latest developments in science and consistent with the 2ºC objective. In addition, the EU should immediately enter into negotiations with our US counterparts so that the emerging carbon market in the US is compatible with our own, thereby creating a transatlantic carbon market as a precursor for a global one. Parliament also states in this resolution that it finds it essential, for the competitiveness of EU industry, that comparable efforts be accepted by other industrialised nations outside the EU, as well as reasonable reduction commitments by developing and emerging economies. The resolution stresses the urgent need for the IPCC to review all its conclusions in order to confirm that they have been peer-reviewed in accordance with the best principles of science. Future reports should make specific reference to the claims of those who challenge the majority view and that these too should be subjected to peer review. Lastly, Members consider that the bilateral meetings between the European Parliament and the national parliaments can substantially facilitate understanding among the parties. It envisages holding these meetings before the beginning of the official negotiations in order to contribute in a more meaningful way to the best possible outcome of the negotiations.

• 2010/01/20 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament summary

    The House held a debate, following on the Council and Commission statements, on the outcome of the Copenhagen summit on climate change.A motion for a resolution closing this debate was due to be put to the vote at the next part-session.

• #2988
• 2009/12/22 Council Meeting
• #2956
• 2009/07/13 Council Meeting
  • 2956
• #2942
• 2009/05/18 Council Meeting
  • 2942

Documents

• Debate in Council: 2942
• Debate in Council: 2956
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T7-0019/2010

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)