Speaking to press on behalf of the European Commission on August
20, the Commissioner on Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, addressed the issue
of the new agreement, which will be discussed in Paris later this year.
Cañete stated that there is "need to define the key elements for
success in Paris.” With the recent meetings such as the G7, there is a
strong feeling from all sides that there is a "strong political will to
reach an ambitious global climate agreement.”
In order to speed up the negotiating process, UN representatives
have presented an improved negotiations text for the August session.
Even though it is still a lengthy document, it will hopefully improve
the negotiating procedures between the countries.
The second point that the Commissioner raised was the need for a
dynamic review in order to strengthen addition over time. In the face of
scientist warnings and repeated communications from the United Nations,
the Commissioner warned that "We have to be prepared for the
possibility of a gap between what is on the table in Paris and what
science requires.”
Cañete reaffirmed the EU’s commitment towards long-term targets,
including the 2 degree objective, which is embedded in the sustainable
development section of the Copenhagen accord. The Commissioner stressed
that every country needs to do their part in the effort to reach this
target, no matter how small. Furthermore, he highlighted the ambitious
emission targets and the EU’s role:
"The European Union was the first major economy to submit its
contribution in March – a binding, economy-wide emissions reduction
target of at least 40% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.This is the most
ambitious contribution presented to date.”
Cañete was critical and asked the Paris conference to deliver a
firm and clear message to all the EU and to the world as a whole, which
echoes both the principles of transparency and accountability:
"We have to be sure that the deal we make in Paris will be about
actions rather than words. Nationally determined targets must be backed
by multilaterally agreed rules on transparency and accountability.
Without these there will be no trust or confidence that countries will
deliver what they have committed to, nor will we be able to track
collective progress towards our goals.
As you all know, the European Union also strongly favours targets
that will beinternationally legally binding. It is no secret that like
the United States a number of countries are reluctant to agree to some
forms of binding deal.
It is up to these countries to demonstrate a convincing alternative
that gives the necessary long-term signal that citizens, markets and
decision makers need.
