Brussels, 27/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - With the European Union hoping that international negotiations on a post-Kyoto solution will be able to kick off formally in Bali next December (COP 13), the Danish government is delighted to announce that Denmark has been chosen as host country for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change of December 2009 (COP 15). The EU hopes that by then, an agreement on an international regime, to include the greatest possible number of countries, may have been concluded, in order to step up the fight against climate change beyond 2012. This is also the hope of the Danish government, which intends to make a contribution to the success of the negotiations for the conclusion of a new international agreement.
Denmark's offer to host this summit was approved on 21 March, after the group of countries of Latin America and the Caribbean decided to give up their host status to the Western European and other Nations group of countries. “I will fight to ensure that Denmark's hosting of the UN conference will be beneficial for the global climate”, declared Connie Hedegaard, Danish Minister for the Environment (our translation). She went on to state that “our objective is to achieve a new global agreement in 2009 for when the Kyoto Protocol expires. We know that this will be a long and difficult struggle, because many important protagonists have their misgivings. But the Danish government is prepared to steer this long process to a conclusion”. The news will be officially announced by the UN in the near future. (an)