Making it possible for the EU to ratify the Paris climate agreement by 7 October without waiting for the 28 member states is a matter of political urgency so that the EU can contribute to the imminent coming into force of this historic agreement and be able to take part in COP 22 in Marrakesh (7-18 November) as a party to the agreement.
Justified by this urgency, the political decision to use a non-simultaneous ratification procedure, unprecedented for a “mixed competence” agreement, is...