Brussels, 29/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - Political goodwill and reality. Connie Hedegaard, the European Commissioner for Climate Action, constantly reiterated these two requirements, which she described as vital, for the 192 parties meeting in Cancun (COP 16- 29 November-10 December) to make this climate conference a success. Speaking in Brussels on Monday 29 November, on the opening day of COP 16, the Commissioner reiterated the EU's desire for Cancun to lead to "a well-balanced package of decisions to maintain the dynamic of negotiations" and allow an ambitious and legally binding global climate agreement to be concluded in Johannesburg in 2012. These decisions must focus on the funding of the aid promised to the developing countries to support their efforts to adapt and attenuate, transfers of technologies, the transparency of emissions reductions (MRV) and the fight against deforestation. "The United States has no problem with the elements of this package, even though the climate bill has not yet passed the Senate", said the Commissioner. With China, it is transparency that we must make progress.
As climate change is "a major challenge, and still a topical one", the EU's message for Cancun is a very short one. "It is absolutely vital to show that Cancun must allow us to make progress", said Ms Hedegaard. If this does not happen, the international community runs the risk of facing "a lack of patience for the United Nations process. But we have no alternative. We must work with what we have. It is in this spirit that we are going to Cancun", she said.
Ms Hedegaard highlighted the "absolutely vital" nature of the rapid implementation funding, to which the EU has pledged 7.2 billion euros over three years (2010-2012). "We will keep this promise. This year, we are at 2.2 billion euros, we need another 200 million euros. I have urged the governments to make their final efforts to allow us to commit these last millions", she said, adding that next year, "the 7.2 billion promised will be forthcoming". And although Africa rejected the draft EU/Africa declaration on climate at Tripoli, the Commissioner is confident, because "we understand perfectly why a positive result is vital for Africa". The Commissioner also stressed the need to agree, at COP 16, of how to handle the issue of surpluses of 'hot air' (the infamous AAU) after 2012. She went on to warn: "if we continue to transfer 11 million tonnes of CO2 over the next commitment period, this will undermine any new actions". And if the EU has no united position on the issue, she said that we should not take stock of this, but take advantage of the progress in Cancun to resolve this internal EU problem subsequently.
The EU's preference is still towards a 'single legal instrument', but the EU is inclined to accept - with conditions - a second commitment period of the Kyoto protocol. "It would be unreasonable for the EU to say 'Down with Kyoto'", because the binding and unilateral objective of the EU of 20% by 2020 is based on the Kyoto Protocol, Ms Hedegaard observed. This is why she feels that it is "vital to keep up the pressure on the other partners, to prevent them from holding us back". (A.N./trans.fl)