Luxembourg, 20/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 2 June, the Environment Council in Luxembourg pointed out that the Paris Agreement, a historic deal that is the very first truly universal and legally binding agreement on the climate has to be ratified by the EU as soon as possible. The ratification proposal on behalf of the EU was presented to ministers by Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete (see EUROPE 11570).
In a unanimously adopted statement, the Council notes the Paris Agreement objectives, including increasing international financing (as demanded by Germany). It also notes the conclusions of the March 2016 European Council, which stressed the need for the EU and its member states to be able to ratify the agreement swiftly, in time to be able to get the ball rolling as soon as it comes into force. The member states and the European Union are invited to start taking the measures needed to conclude their ratifications as soon as possible in order to be able to collectively lodge their ratification instruments with the UN Secretariat General. Poland has managed to get flexible wording for this question of the collective lodging of instruments.
Ségolène Royal, as chair of COP21, expressed her gratitude to the Council. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)