Brussels, 02/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - The EU27 heads of state and/or government want the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20 to be a success (Rio de Janeiro, 20-22 June 2012), and expect the EU to contribute in an active way to making it so (see EUROPE 10560). This was set out, on Friday 2 March in Brussels, in the Council's unanimous conclusions.
In their view, the success of Rio+20 will reflect the international community's ability to acquire a roadmap for the green economy, together with concrete measures and targets and a precise timetable, and to establish the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as a global environment agency with far greater influence (an idea close to France's heart).
“It is important for Europe to be at the forefront to fix the terms of the debate”, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso told the press, describing these European Council guidelines as very important and highly ambitious.
It will be up to the Environment Council on 9 March to use these political guidelines as a basis for setting out the details and making the EU negotiating mandate official.
The global transition towards a green economy, which the EU is pushing, should have a threefold aim to: - promote protection of the environment, contribute to eradicating poverty, and stimulate low-carbon and resource efficient growth. In order to operate in the best possible way, it will be necessary for the private sector and civil society to be actively involved. Hence the European Council's wish that these players, already mobilised for preparing the Rio+20 (see EUROPE 10549), will be largely represented at the international conference in question, which will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit. (AN/transl.jl)