Brussels, 20/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - Stepping up political dialogue with as many third countries as possible for the whole of 2015, in order to mobilise as much goodwill as possible and thereby work towards the success of the UN climate conference of Paris (COP 21, December 2015): this is the aim of the action plan for the EU's 'climate diplomacy', which received the blessing of the Foreign Ministers of the Twenty-Eight in Brussels on Tuesday 20 January (see EUROPE 11232). Through the success of the Paris conference, the EU hopes to conclude an ambitious and legally binding agreement at that conference, with all countries on board, to enter into force in 2020 to replace the Kyoto Protocol.
“We endorsed a Climate Change Action Plan that will help us reach a good result in Paris at the conference in December. And the European Union is not only ready, but also willing to take the lead on this”, Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, told the press after the meeting of the Council.
This action plan, which was proposed by the European Commission and the EEAS and has now been rubber-stamped, is based around three main pillars: - making climate change a strategic priority in political dialogue with partner countries, particularly within the G7/G8, the G20 and the UN General Assembly; - supporting low-carbon and climate change-resistant development through the EU's development cooperation policy; - creating a link between climate change and its possible long-term consequences, including security challenges.
Climate change is one of the global challenges on which resumed political dialogue with Russia could be extremely useful, Mogherini told the press, referring to “major global challenges like climate change and counterterrorism where we do have an interest in having a political dialogue on global and regional issues with Russia” (see EUROPE 11233). (AN)