Brussels, 26/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - The EU and its member states are finally prepared to ratify the Doha amendment on the second period of the Kyoto Protocol period of commitment (from 1 January 2013 - 31 December 2020). The decisions needed for this formality were formally adopted on Monday 26 January, without debate, by the Council of the EU, on the sidelines of the meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council.
These decisions enable: - the signing on behalf of the EU, the Doha amendment and the subsequent commitments resulting from it; the formal conclusion of the agreement under which the EU and its member states on the one part and Iceland, on the other, are committed to jointly reducing their emissions by 80% in the reference years during this second period of commitment.
The EU considers that the ratification of the amendment will subsequently enhance its credibility and that of its member states in international climate negotiations for concluding, in Paris by the end of the year (COP 21, December 2015), a new global regime to tackle climate change and which will succeed the Kyoto Protocol in 2020 and will be legally binding. (AN)