Brussels, 29/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission welcomes the decision taken by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to let the European Community participate fully in IPCC meetings, a prerogative normally reserved for governments.
The IPCC's decision gives the European Commission enhanced observer status granting it the right to intervene and to submit proposals, but not to vote. This is exactly the status the Commission had requested from the United Nations body, which brings together the most eminent scientists for assessing risks relating to climate change, and whose regular reports are respected as an authority worldwide.
“I am delighted that we are able to have a voice in the main United Nations forum which provides policy makers with sound scientific data on climate”, Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik comments in a press release. He points out that “supporting climate research and the development of low carbon technologies is one of the EU research priorities. The European Commission's research-funding programme, the 7th framework programme, is also one of the main drivers and funding sources of international climate research and cooperation in this area”.
Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas considers it highly important that the Commission should now be “fully involved in the IPCC's future scientific assessments of climate change which of course shall remain the basis for our policies, both nationally and globally. Fundamentally, the agreement that we need in Copenhagen shall be guided by science developed by the IPCC”.
This is the fourth IPCC report, published in 2007, which recognises human responsibility in global warming and serves as a basis for international climate talks. (A.N./transl.jl)