Brussels, 21/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - Under the terms of the Copenhagen Accord, the European Union, like all the world's other industrialised countries, has to inform the United Nations of its commitment on reductions in CO² emissions by 2020 so that the table of commitments, which was left empty in Copenhagen, can be completed. Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has expressed doubts about whether all countries will meet this date, the EU, however, will.
A 20% reduction by 2020 (compared with 1990) or a 30% reduction by the same date if the other parties to the negotiations agree to similar efforts, was the EU's formal position for Copenhagen, and it remains the EU position today. It will, therefore, be submitted to the UN.
Nevertheless, it took the COREPER meeting of member states' Ambassadors to the EU more than six hours on Wednesday 20 January to agree on the wording of the letter to be sent to the Secretariat General of the UNFCCC.
The compromise set out in the letter, jointly drafted by the Spanish Presidency of the Council and the European Commission says the EU wants to join the Copenhagen Accord (which, on 19 December, could not be formally adopted as a UN decision) and submits its 20%/30% reduction target, with a footnote reproducing word for word the conclusions of the December 2009 European Council in order to reiterate that the EU offer of moving up to 30% was conditional. In other words, the EU was ready to make the leap as part of a comprehensive global agreement, “provided that other developed countries commit themselves to comparable emission reductions and that developing countries contribute adequately according to their responsibilities and respective capabilities.
A number of delegations (Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in particular) still have to check with their capitals if their scrutiny reservation could be lifted. When the go-ahead is given, the decision to approve and send the letter will be taken by written procedure.
The wording agreed was a double compromise. It settles at one and the same time a strategic problem (differing approaches to the post-Copenhagen strategy) and an institutional one (differing interpretations of the Lisbon Treaty by the Commission and the Council).
On the strategic level, Poland and Italy, along with the European Commission, only want mention of the 20% target in the table, without touching the footnote. Others, including the UK, the Netherlands and France, only want the 30% target to be put in the table. Behind this battle on how to present things lie two differing approaches to the strategy the EU should adopt after the failure of Copenhagen. Supporters of the 30% reduction, such as the UK and France, want the EU to lead by example. Those who favour the 20% reduction believe that the EU should not be blind: the leadership strategy did not work, so continuing obstinately along this path, they say, makes no sense. This difference of opinion among delegations was apparent already in Seville at the informal Environment Ministers Council (15-17 January). On behalf of the Presidency, Teresa Ribera, the Spanish Secretary of State insisted on the “comparability of effort” which forms the European position's red line and was a strong argument.
The debate will certainly return at the highest level at the informal European Council of 11 February, when heads of state and government will be invited by Herman Van Rompuy to hone the EU strategy making it more convincing so that the EU can make itself heard better.
On the institutional level, COREPER had to reach a decision on a dispute over competence. The Commission believed that, under the Lisbon Treaty and the new provisions introduced on external representation on shared areas of responsibility, it alone should draft the letter to the UN, on behalf of the EU. The Council took the view that member states should also be involved since the energy-climate legislative package allowed them to go beyond the provisions adopted. While COREPER discussed the draft submission of the European target, Spanish Environment, Rural and Maritime Affairs Minister Teresa Espinosa was assuring the European Parliament of the Presidency's determination “to improve as far as possible the points (Ed: in the Copenhagen Accord) that will allow an ambitious, binding agreement to be concluded in Mexico. We have to use the current political opportunity, which was missed at Copenhagen, and we cannot accept that our expectations and those of the international community go unanswered. Our credibility is at stake. We have to defend our position stoutly,” she stated. (A.N./transl.rt)