On Friday 20 September, ahead of the Climate Action and Sustainable Development Goals Summits in New York (23-26 September), David Sassoli, the President of the European Parliament, appealed for ambition and urgent action.
“Young people all over the world take to the streets and demand we fight for their future. I call on world leaders to make this summit a real turning point and take immediate and bold action against climate change. While the European Union has been at the forefront of global climate action, we have to accelerate our endeavours and aim higher”, he said.
While he is disappointed that the EU has not yet agreed its 2050 strategy and advocates increasing the 2030 target, he believes that the EU has “a unique opportunity” to set an example (see EUROPE 12329/1).
A delegation from the European Parliament will be going to New York (15 MEPs from all groups). “The UN and multilateralism need the EU's commitment now more than ever to achieve our climate and sustainable development goals”, said Mairead McGuinness (EPP, Ireland) and Tomas Tobé (EPP, Sweden), who will be leading the delegation.
In March, the European Parliament called on the European Commission to propose a strategy by the end of 2019 to integrate the SDGs into EU policies. In New York, Donald Tusk and Frans Timmermans will present the EU's position (see EUROPE 12325/7, 12300/11). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)