MEPs held a debate in Strasbourg on Wednesday 23 November with European Climate Action Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete and Slovak Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Ivan Korcok to take stock of progress made at climate conference COP 22 in Marrakesh (see EUROPE 11672). Many MEPs spoke to welcome the results achieved and to thank both the European Commission and the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU for the unity shown by the EU in negotiations.
Virtually all MEPs from virtually all political groups (EPP, S&D, ECR, ALDE, EFDD, Greens/EFA) were of the view that this COP, for a time dampened by the election of Donald Trump, had been successful through the political momentum that it ultimately managed to inject into the global transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy. They said that China had to be an ally if progress is to be made and also that the EU had to step up its efforts to take forward the legislation currently under consideration (long-term reform of the ETS, effort-sharing in non-ETS sectors, the contribution to be made by agriculture and forestry) and the winter package impatiently awaited by MEPs so that EU energy efficiency and renewable energy targets can be raised.
Only MEPs from the extreme right ENF and the UK members of the EFDD spoke of failure, while those from the GUE/NGL expressed disappointment at the lack of tangible results, for example, to help the poorest countries which are the most vulnerable to climate change.
“The goal of COP 22 was to launch implementation of the Paris Agreement”, said Korcok on behalf of the Council and this, he suggested, had been achieved, notably with the transparency framework, the adaptation mechanism and adaptation register, the global inventory of progress and the conformity mechanism. In addition, preparations will be launched for the 2018 facilitation dialogue and progress was made on increasing transparency by 2020, revising the Warsaw mechanism and enhancing developing countries’ capabilities.
He stressed that “only one year on from Paris”, another corner had been turned. On 18 November, 112 parties had ratified the agreement, including the EU and 16 member states, he pointed out.
In response to the MEPs’ expectations, he said he was pleased that the debate had gone further than simply providing an update. Thanking Parliament for its cooperation last year, he said that, in 2016, the Council’s efforts had brought results. The Maltese and Estonian Presidencies next year will show the same determination, he said. He expressed the hope that agreement on the long-term reform of the ETS might still be possible before the end of the year, under the Slovak Presidency.
Cañete opined that a joint declaration on a genuinely ambitious transition of the world economy, agreement on a roadmap for the finalisation of implementation rules in 2018, and hundreds of millions of dollars promised by 2020 is a fine achievement. Several member states have announced further contributions to the Green Climate Fund and committed themselves to the mechanism that deals with losses and damages, he stated.
The commissioner also praised the many initiatives by cities, NGOs and other non-governmental players and the launch of the Partnership for Global Climate Action that will transform the Paris Agreement into reality (see EUROPE 11668).
“After Marrakesh, work does not stop. China is more determined than ever. We will strengthen international cooperation. I will work with the German Presidency of the G20 on application of the Paris Agreement”, he stated. He said he was ready to work with the Parliament to make progress on the legislation already on the table. Highlighting “the opportunities offered by the Paris Agreement to modernise our labour and employment markets”, he added: “we will present a package on a clean economy for all of Europe which will put a framework in place that is consistent with the 2030 targets”.
Speaking for the EPP Group, Giovanni La Via (Italy) said that COP 22 had turned words into action and that the Marrakesh declaration, a sign of solidarity and continuity, bore witness to an irreversible process. “The transition to clean energy has already begun”, he said. Jo Leinen (S&D, Germany), pointing out that 48 of the COP countries had pledged 100% renewable energy and a strategy to 2050, urged improvement in energy efficiency and renewables in the winter package and wondered what the EU will have to offer in 2018 (COP 24 in Poland) where stock will be taken of where the pledges stand.
On behalf of the ECR Group, Julie Girling (UK) was pleased that, despite the impact of the election of Donald Trump, COP 22 had been successful in confirming the commitment of the states party and, in particular, that of helping developing countries, which would make progress with the coalition of willing states.
Gerben Jan Gerbrandy (ALDE, Netherlands) thanked Cañete for having “improved relations with the Chinese minister”, whose determination to act “sends Washington the message of an irreversible process”. The MEP nevertheless pointed out that “China invests two and a half times more than Europe and, in relation to its GDP, this is even four times more”.
Estefania Torres Martinez (GUE/NGL, Spain) was very critical towards Cañete and said she thought the EU had little weight in the negotiations. “You are linked to the oil and construction industry. Are you up to it, ethically?”, she asked. Flying to Cañete’s aid, Claude Turmes (Greens/EFA, Luxembourg), sang the praises “of an excellent negotiator”, however – although he thought Cañete “would have difficulty in 2018” at the COP 24 meeting “because of Cameron’s veto at the Council”.
Marco Affronte (EFDD, Italy) called on the EU “to be particularly ambitious and respect the 1.5 degrees objective”. “There needs to be a 2050 strategy and the billions in fossil fuel subsidies need to be renounced”, he said. Roger Helmer (EFDD, UK) said the participants at COP 22 had “only taken planes” in order to agree to discuss. In his view, the Paris Agreement is well and truly dead. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)