Brussels, 22/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - There is no question of committing to more than a 20% reduction in EU emissions between now and 2020, even if it is just a matter of raising the figure of 25%. The Polish delegation brought its partners up short with its last-minute opposition, on the evening of 21 June, to the adoption of conclusions of the Environment Council on the roadmap of the EU for a low-carbon economy by 2050 (EUROPE 10402). Most of the ministers were more or less packing up when the Polish minister announced that Prime Minister Donald Tusk opposed a compromise, which had appeared close at hand, of specifying 25% as an objective in line with the road to travel up to 2050. This meant that the Hungarian Presidency had no choice but to adopt conclusions… of the Presidency, with the approval of 26 out of 27 member states. After this final Environment session under the Hungarian Presidency, Sandor Fazekas, the minister for rural development and chairman of the Council, did not comment on this disappointment to the press. “The Hungarian Presidency still wants to find a consensus. We have negotiated towards this”, was all that he said. Speaking before the Council, Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Climate Action, who demonstrated in March of this year that 25% was entirely feasible and would be worthwhile if the EU fulfilled its energy efficiency objective, did not hide her disappointment, although she was somewhat mollified by the fact that the vast majority of ministers support the roadmap.
The conclusions of the Presidency acknowledge “that the foundations proposed in the roadmap (a 40% reduction in emissions by 2030, 60% by 2040 and 80% by 2050 compared to 1990 figures) constitute the basis for future work on the action required to make a gradual and viable transition”. They also acknowledge that a reduction of 25% by 2020 would be in line with future progress and consistent with the long-term climate objective, and call on the Commission to propose options to observe the 2030 figure.
When asked by the press about this before the blow of failure came, the French minister, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, said: “There was a proper debate on a text which was used as a basis for discussion (the text prepared at Coreper), but Poland and Italy refused to take it as a basis. Are we prepared to say anything concrete for 2050? Are we prepared to say that if we go to the limit of energy efficiency, 25% in 2020 can be done? Poland and Italy did not want the milestones to be referred to as milestones.” Is this saying that nothing will be done during the next six months of the Polish Presidency? “The Polish Priority has as its number one priority the climate and the need to be there in Durban. We will know more at the informal Environment Council”, the French minister replied.
The environment NGOs were more forthright in their comments. In the view of Jason Anderson, of the European office of WWF, Poland is “showing a shocking disregard for climate protection and economic revitalisation” and has “clearly decided to slow down any environmental progress” during its term as president of the Council. (A.N./transl.fl)