The day after publication of a special IPCC report on the climate, European environment ministers were keen to send a strong signal to the international community ahead of the COP24 in Katowice (3-14 December), but without taking the risk of committing themselves unilaterally due to opposition from the less ambitious countries.
The Council conclusions document adopted in Luxembourg on 9 October on the EU's position for COP24 in Katowice expresses strong concerns raised by the IPCC report, noting the extremely urgent need for action to boost the global response to the threat of climate change.
The document reiterates the EU's commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement and the EU's desire to play a leading role in the negotiations. It stressed the "ambitious" action that the EU is already implementing with its climate/energy legislation, citing the new renewable energy and energy efficiency targets and sending a positive message that the EU may review its 2030 target by 2020, mentioning the possibility of a more ambitions contribution but without giving any figures.
The document underlines that the EU will continue to create a positive momentum among all parties to the Paris Climate Agreement to boost global climate ambitions and says that the "the EU is ready to communicate or update its NDC by 2020, taking into account the collective further efforts needed and actions undertaken by all parties to meet the objective of the Paris agreement".
This result was made possible by a compromise. The conclusions document is not as ambitious as the 15 countries favouring a clear rise in the EU's ambitions by 2020 would have desired, but in the view of Austrian minister Elisabeth Koestinger and others, the adoption of the conclusions was a success in itself.
Sweden’s proposal of mentioning right now the EU's openness to announce for COP24 the reactivation of its NDC to increase its ambitions by 2020 clashed with the call for realism by a number of delegations (Romania, Bulgaria Croatia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland), which oppose the EU pledging unilaterally to a timeline for an objective they say is already compatible with the Paris Climate Agreement before prior dialogue with the different sectors and the member states and without a detailed impact analysis.
"It is important to have a very ambitious negotiating mandate in order to be credible at the level of climate policy, especially after the IPCC report. Remaining at 1.5 degrees will reduce risks and provide co-benefits for sustainable development", said Luxembourg’s Green minister, adding that this was crucial and it was important to be serious and raise the level of ambition. Sweden, France and 12 other delegations made similar appeals.
Finally, the year 2019 could be used to discuss this, based on the European Commission’s awaited long-term strategy. This strategy will have to incorporate a 1.5 degree scenario for average global warming and at least one pathway for moving to zero emissions by 2050, the Council notes.
The conclusions document reiterates the EU's commitment and that of its member states to contribute to the financing of the US$100 billion a year from 2020 to 2025 to support developing countries’ efforts to reduce and adapt to climate change. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)