In Strasbourg on Wednesday 5 July, the European Parliament gave its consent to ratification by the EU of the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer.
The amendment, on which international agreement was reached in October 2016, seeks to speed up the phasing out of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), industrial gases which, in terms of global warming, are 14,000 times more potent than CO2 (see EUROPE 11647). It stipulates that developed countries must set the example, making the first cuts during the period from 2019 to 2013 and that developing countries follow their lead, freezing HFC consumption and production between 2024 and 2028.
Following the recommendation of rapporteur Kateřina Konečná (GUE/NGL, Czech Republic), Parliament voted by the wide majority of 604 to 31, with 19 abstentions, to approve the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the EU, of the amendment which signals the elimination of HFCs across the globe.
In Konečná’s view, swift ratification of the Kigali amendment is crucial because it “will signal (the EU’s) commitment to making a substantial contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and thereby meeting the targets set in the Paris Agreement”. She welcomed the United Kingdom’s pledge to accept and ratify the Kigali amendment, in spite of the ongoing Brexit negotiations. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)