Brussels, 22/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - There is at least one good piece of news when looking forward to 2020. Unable to delight in the ability of the parties at the United Nations Framework Convention to review their level of commitment upward when it comes to reducing their CO2 emissions by 2020, Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, enthusiastically hailed the adoption by the European Parliament of the framework programme on innovation and research for 2020. This is a step forward for climate action by the EU (see EUROPE 10968).
Speaking from Warsaw where she is attending the UN climate conference which is making very little headway (COP 19 11-22 November), the commissioner welcomed the fact that the €70.2 billion allocated to the new framework programme 2014-2020 gives a lion's share to climate. Hedegaard tweeted on Thursday 21 November to say that one third of the funds will be spent on climate, adding “that's intelligent climate policy!” (AN/transl.jl)