The European Commission wants, on behalf of the EU, to negotiate a “'Global Pact for the Environment”, to be adopted by the United Nations in 2020, bringing together in a single, legally binding text all UN environmental instruments and protocols. To this end, it sought a mandate from the Council of the EU on Monday 19 March.
The recommendation to the Council, which amounts to a proposal for a negotiating mandate, seeks to ensure that all 28 states act together to ensure that EU environmental policies and laws are respected.
“The upcoming UN negotiations on a Global Pact for the Environment present a fresh opportunity to consolidate key environmental principles in one international text”, states Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella in a press release. In his view, the negotiation mandate will give Europe “collective leadership in the process”.
The proposal for a global pact, a French initiative presented by French President Emmanuel Macron, on 20 September 2017 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, has received the backing of European Council President Donald Tusk (see EUROPE 11866). The draft text was tabled on the United Nations electronic platform on 20 December 2017. It is sponsored by some 50 countries, including around 15 EU member states. International negotiations are expected to begin in the spring. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)