Following the request of more than 130 MEPs and elected representatives from the United States (see EUROPE 13187/9) for the withdrawal of Sultan Al-Jaber from the presidency of the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28), the European Commission took a position on Wednesday evening, 24 May.
According to a spokesperson for the EU institution, “nominations are agreed by all parties at the COP” and, in order to ensure “the maximum possible ambition”, the Commission will continue to work “constructively” with the COP28 Presidency, which will visit the Commission in early June.
“We will hold them to account and we will not hesitate to express any concerns we have in public or in private about the direction of negotiations”, said the source close to the case. “This letter shows that policymakers around the world have high expectations for progress at COP28”, the source added.
“Every Party and every Presidency has a responsibility to get the world on track with the commitments in the Paris Agreement and to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We note that Dr Sultan Al-Jaber has stated that ‘keeping 1.5 is a top priority’ for COP28 and we take him at his word”, the spokesperson stressed.
And to conclude: “Climate action is a global responsibility (...), every country and every sector of the economy must play a role in reducing emissions”. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)