Brussels, 07/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - The extraordinary climate change Council which met on Tuesday in Brussels under the chairmanship of Dominique Voynet (France) has sharpened its weapons in preparation for the conference in The Hague (COP 6, 13-24 November) when negotiations will be on the arrangements for implementation of the Kyoto Protocol for reduction of six greenhouse gas emissions. The outcome of the US presidential elections and the way that it could influence the unfolding of negotiations has largely directed the detailed strategic discussion by the Fifteen.
The conclusions adopted by the Council stress the Union's determination to reach a positive result in The Hague and confirm the importance that it attaches above all to: a) the pre-eminence of national actions over resorting to "flexible mechanisms"; b) a strict system for conformity control together with financial penalties to be paid into a fund (a simple political commitment to honour the objectives is not acceptable); c) rapid implementation of a mechanism that promotes the transfer of really clean technologies towards the developing countries according to a pre-established list of technologies eligible for this mechanism; d) cautious use of carbon sinks; e) rapid ratification of the Protocol allowing it to come into force in 2002.