Brussels, 03/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - As requested, the European Commission unveiled an assessment on Wednesday 2 March of the tangible implications of the Paris Agreement which it feels is a success for the planet and confirmation of the EU's commitment to a low-carbon economy.
Its report on the subject discusses the way the universal agreement can be implemented in the EU from 2016 onwards, along with pursuit of the EU's action at international level. It is accompanied by a draft Council decision to allow the Agreement to be signed by the EU in New York on 22 April 2016, where the official ceremony will take place for opening the signing process for the Agreement.
The Commission points out that the signing and entry into force of the Paris Agreement will provide states with the guarantee that the agreement will rapidly become operational. For this, at least 55 parties representing at least 55% of global emissions must have ratified it.
Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete said we have an agreement and we now have to apply it. For the European Union, this means completing climate and energy legislation for 2030 without delay, signing and ratifying the Agreement as soon as possible and continuing to act as an engine for the global transition to a low-carbon future. Thorough its climate diplomacy, the EU will fight to ensure climate deregulation remains at the top of international political priorities. There follows a summary of the main results of the Commission's assessment:
Climate-energy framework 2030. Implementation of this framework, which sets a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of at least 40% by 2030 for all sectors of the European economy, is a priority in order to follow up on the Paris Agreement. The EU is already at work to this end, with a draft reform of the European Trading System (ETS) of carbon permits, which is currently being negotiated. The Commission confirms that by the end of 2016, it will publish the main additional draft legislation that is required, and calls for it to be examined rapidly by the EP and Council of Ministers.
The proposals include a decision on the sharing of the burden among member states for non-ETS sectors (buildings, transport and agriculture), which is expected by July, and will be accompanied by a communication on the decarbonisation of transport; a proposal on the use of land, the change of land use and forestry (LULUCF), a proposal establishing a reliable and transparent governance mechanism for climate and energy, and other strategic proposals to adjust the EU's regulatory framework for energy efficiency and renewable energy. In a press release, EU Vice President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic says we must ensure we preserve our advantage as pioneers, notably in the domain of renewable energy and energy efficiency. With the strategic framework for an Energy Union we want to create an environment that will allow investors and companies to take full advantage of the new opportunities they are presented with (see EUROPE 11491).
Regular re-assessment: The EU will need to be ready to participate in the process of re-examining commitments to ensure achievement of the target of keeping global warming below the 2°C mark, aiming at no more than a 1.5 °C rise. The EU will contribute to the scientific work carried out at international level in order to better understand the challenges of the latter objective. The international group of experts on climate change (IPCC) is due to draw up a special report on this question in 2018.
In addition, all countries have been invited to communicate their long-term decarbonisation strategies for the middle of the century by 2020. In order to facilitate the drawing up of the EU's strategy, the Commission will prepare a detailed-analysis of changes in the economic and social domain in order to fuel the political debate at the EP, Council of Ministers and with stakeholders.
Energy transition: The EU needs to reinforce conditions favourable to the transition to a low-carbon economy by relying on a range of measures and interconnected instruments included in the strategy for a resilient energy union.
Global diplomacy and international action: The EU needs to step up its climate diplomacy (see EUROPE 11490) to keep up the political drive and help other countries implement the Paris Agreement. In this connection, the EU remains determined to identify the mobilisation of international financing to achieve the USD 100 billion a year for developing countries by developing and encouraging progress in negotiations at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to tackle greenhouse gas emissions in these sectors (see EUROPE 11488). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)