Brussels, 15/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - At the plenary session on Tuesday 14 December, the main political groups of the European Parliament welcomed with satisfaction the Paris agreement on the climate (COP 21). However, they called upon the European Union to translate this theoretical agreement into practical measures. A small group of MEPs from the EFD plus a number of non-attached members said that the agreement was a poor one, describing it as not worth the paper it was written on.
Giovanni La Via (EPP, Italy), president of the parliamentary committee on the environment, who also headed up the delegation of MEPs to Paris, said: “this is a historic agreement, because all of the member states have recognised that there is a global problem which requires a global solution. I think that this is the best possible solution, taking account of the requirements of each”. The Greens/EFA Group also welcomed the agreement: “now, we have ammunition against the member states and the European Union when they are not doing enough”, said the French MEP José Bové. Other members of this party regretted the fact that there is no mention of carbon prices or rights for the proposals which have been removed. Socialist member Miriam Dalli (Malta) regretted the lack of provisions on emissions from air and maritime transport. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)