Brussels, 07/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - Following its rapporteur, Jorge Moreira da Silva (EPP-ED, Portugal), the European Parliament was invited to give its advisory stance on ratification by the EU of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. It urged the Union to carry out the procedure swiftly as it was necessary for entry into force of the Protocol, and for the joint implementation of commitments arising from it for the Community and its Member States. Like the Commission, the Parliament trusts the Protocol will be ratified before the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, South Africa, in September this year)
The resolution, adopted on Wednesday in Strasbourg by a very large majority (540 votes in favour, 4 against, 10 abstentions) recalls the importance of this international agreement which - although less ambitious than the Union would have liked as it is constrained, in order to save the Protocol, to accept carbon sinks for achieving the objectives of greenhouse gas reductions - will at least make it possible to at last tackle the "extremely serious" problem of global warming, despite the regrettable defection of the main polluter: the United States. The EP recalls that it posed as a prior condition for the implementation of market mechanisms (such as trading permits for CO2 emissions) the assurance that priority will be given to common policies and coordinated measures, and that the policies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions will cover all economic sectors. In this respect, the Parliament warns the Member States against the temptation to reduce emissions in the industrial and energy sectors without affecting transport and civil construction. From the environmental point of view, it believes such an option would be "misleading and economically irrational" since missed opportunities for technological change would later result in "clearly higher reduction costs". Without citing Denmark, which brings into question the over-ambitious objective assigned to it on the basis of one reference year when it was highly economical, the Parliament reminds Member States of the need, without attempts at renegotiation, to share the burden concluded in 1998 for establishing an equitable contribution by all to the collective effort required in the Union (8% reduction of total greenhouse gas emissions between 2008 and 2012, compared to the level reached in 1990). "Nothing warrants changing this agreement which fixed the commitments on emissions for the Fifteen. The translation of these commitments relating to absolute levels of emissions expressed in equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide will have to be carried out by 2007, notes the resolution. Parliament noted that the Kyoto Protocol was just a beginning and the international community must set additional reduction objectives for beyond 2012, far more ambitious objectives than the current 5.2% target.