Dokumentation Panel 1
Morning panel "The EU´s flagging role in global climate policy"
Opening the session, moderator Yannick Jadot, Green MEP from France, asked panelists to assess the future of the international climate negotiations after the disappointing outcome of the climate summit in Copenhagen in December. What are the chances of reaching a global agreement and what role does Europe have to play? Pointing out that the EU's claim to leadership in international climate policy had lost credibility, he asked panelists to assess the reasons for this and to propose ways to address this.
UNFCCC executive secretary Yvo de Boer started by presenting some potential explanations for the disappointing outcome in Copenhagen. These included the mistrust on the part of the developing countries of the sincerity of industrialised countries, which were trying to convince the developing countries to agree to abandon the Kyoto Protocol without offering a clear alternative. Clearly, the fact that the US was unable to commit to any form of binding action on emissions, for domestic and diplomatic reasons, also played a role.
Addressing the mistrust among all negotiating parties and restoring confidence will clearly be key to achieving a successful outcome of the negotiations. The EU clearly has an important role to play to this end but it must take moves to address its loss of credibility. Firstly, it should increase its emissions pledge to a 30% reduction target by 2020 from 1990 levels – it is now an open secret that the EU's 20% reduction target will be achieved with no real effort, so increasing the target is crucial. The EU must also deliver on its promises for fast-start climate financing for developing countries and, crucially, ensure that this aid comes from new and guaranteed sources of funding, rather than being reallocated from existing development aid promises. If the EU can deliver this, it will restore its credibility and help restore momentum to the negotiations.
Former EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas raised the concern that, without stronger commitment to more ambitious climate policies, the EU risks falling behind other countries that are already engaging in the green and sustainable transformation of their economies. To this end he highlighted the need for the EU to step up to a 30% emissions reduction target as soon as possible, with the European Council in June being the ideal opportunity to do so. Stepping up the emissions target would also help the EU restore some of the lost trust by developing countries. Mr Dimas underlined the important role the Greens have and will continue to have in convincing both the public and politicians to undertake the necessary change.
The failure to put the European or wider interest ahead of the national interest was one of the main reasons why the EU played such an insignificant role at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen, according to Greens/EFA co-president Rebecca Harms. The EU was not able to play a proactive role in the negotiations because it remained divided. Achieving a strong and united EU position is crucial to this end.
The EU will clearly have to restore the confidence of its negotiating partners. Despite trumpeting its leadership in climate policies, we know that it has achieved few emissions reductions directly through its own policies. For this reason, as well as to stimulate the shift to the green economic transformation, the EU must increase to a 30% emissions reduction target without delay. It must also clearly and unambiguously rule out recycling funds foreseen for development aid policies to meet its pledges on climate financing for development countries. Clearly, the EU can not rely on the US and must build new alliances with other proactive parties in the climate negotiations if we are to make progress.
Germany clearly has a key role to play in shaping EU policy. It is welcome to hear the German environment minister also calling for the EU to increase to a 30% emissions reduction target, as well as underlining Germany's commitment to an international climate agreement. The Greens must support this and ensure it becomes official government policy.
People will look back in years to come and wonder why we took so long to make the necessary decisions to spur the win-win transition to a low-carbon economy, according Greenpeace campaigner Tove Ryding. The EU is waiting for the US to move before it is willing to commit to a more ambitious climate policy, but this will clearly not convince others to take steps forward. The constant appeals for more time in the UN climate talks are also hard to understand. Trust is build up through actions, not time. The EU undermines its own credibility by stating its commitment to limiting warming to 2 degrees Celsius but adopting a 20% emissions reduction target for 2020, which is completely inconsistent with the 2 degrees goal.
Going forward, we need a clear perspective not just calls for more time. We need negotiating parties to make clear what they are going to do and when. The job is not done; the problems were not solved in Copenhagen and the public knows this. We need to keep up the pressure to ensure the window of opportunity for climate action does not close.
According to Professor Claus Leggewie, the EU is threatened by two domestic trends: free market neo-liberalism and populism. Europe was divided in Copenhagen and, as a result, was powerless. The EU needs to focus on new political strategies, both bottom-up by implementing and convincing the public of the benefits of ambitious policies, but also by building international alliances to overcome the intransigence of the US and China in the international negotiations. The EU should be building alliances with willing parties, like Indonesia, Brazil, Japan, Norway etc. We have no climate diplomacy and we therefore have had no power to shape the climate negotiations. This is what we need to address.
