Brussels, 29/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - Ahead of the Paris conference, where a global, legally binding climate agreement is to be concluded in 2015 to enter into force in 2020, an informal ministerial meeting on the climate is to be held in Brussels on Wednesday 30 April, under the joint chairmanship of Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, and Tine Sundtoft, Norwegian Minister for the Climate and the Environment. Commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation to climate change and supporting the efforts of the developing countries will be discussed by the ministers of 35 industrialised and developing countries, including Bangladesh, Columbia, Ethiopia, the Marshall Islands, Morocco, Senegal, Tanzania and the ministers of the trio of Presidencies of the COP [Poland for COP 19, Peru COP 20 (Lima, late 2014) and France for COP 21 (Paris, late 2015)].
This meeting also aims to prepare the ground for the climate summit called by Ban Ki moon which will be held in New York on 23 September, to give a shot in the arm to the actions and level of commitments of the heads of state and government, industry, finance and civil society. (AN)