press conference by european union on climate change

The Commission on Sustainable Development “was in dangerous waters”, with little progress achieved, and negotiations continuing for a draft negotiating text for its current two-week session, which concludes tomorrow, correspondents were told at a Headquarters press conference this morning.

Sigmar Gabriel, Minister of the Environment of Germany, and currently holding the Presidency of the European Union said that, during its current session, the Commission had aimed at taking policy decisions on practical measures to advance long-term energy solutions that could fuel economic and social development, while protecting the environment, improving energy efficiency, increasing the use of renewable energy sources and protecting the climate for future generations.

The Union, he continued, having adopted an integrated approach to energy and climate change policies, had supported the opening statement by United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, who had made it crystal clear that climate change and energy policies –- the combination between protecting the climate and economic growth and development –- were at the top of his personal agenda.  Progress must be achieved, and the time for debates was over.  There was a growing awareness around the world that the international community must act now.

Yet, he added, despite the world’s expectations, the Commission during its negotiations could not move forward.  “What we see here is a lot of papers put on the table, but we cannot find real progress in the discussion on energy policy and policy for saving the climate,” he said.  The participants of the meeting had to decide if they wanted to be frontrunners, at the centre of international political debate, or remain on the sidelines, reducing the Commission’s importance in the future. 

Many participants felt “a little bit sad about the situation”, and all of them –- some officially and others non-officially –- said that reform was needed, to give it a new structure and impetus to save the role of the Commission on Sustainable Development, within the United Nations Framework on Climate Change.  “If we fail in this task, I am sure that in the next years this conference will lose importance and we’ll lose one of the most important meetings, where we have an integrated discussion about poverty eradication, education, health, economic development and environmental development all over the world.”

Also speaking to the press was European Union Commissioner for the Environment, Stavros Dimas, who said that the results of the current session should go beyond what had been agreed in Johannesburg and reflect global concerns about the global energy situation, as well as the most recent findings on climate change, without underestimating the negative effects of air pollution and the importance of industrial development.  However, little progress had been reached in the negotiations in recent days.  Concerned about “the general level of ambition”, the Union wanted to see progress on several main points, including ambitious review arrangements for energy and an agreement on regional and national targets for renewables.

The Union also strongly supported the recommendations for integrating energy issues into poverty reduction and sustainable development strategies, he continued.  Further, it also hoped for an agreement within the Commission to integrate discussions on an international agreement on energy efficiency, which represented the fastest way of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.  Finally, the Commission should call for international action to address increasing emissions from the transport sector, notably from aviation and marine sources.  Among other issues of high importance for developing countries were the subjects of indoor air pollution and heating.

Europe had moved ahead in all those areas, he continued, having put in place a comprehensive programme on energy and climate change in January.  It was also pushing for legislation on emissions and setting ambitious targets on energy, renewables and climate change.  He was convinced that those targets should be shared by the rest of the developed world because the Commission was aiming for a meaningful global deal to fight climate change after 2010.  One of the goals set by the Union related to a unilateral commitment to a 30 per cent reduction in emissions by 2020.  The Commission had set the standards, but some countries, including Germany, had implemented even higher targets and comprehensive policies to exceed them.

Asked, what would happen if Zimbabwe took the chair of the Commission tomorrow, Mr. Gabriel said that the issue had been discussed during a recent ministerial coordination meeting of the Commission and, for the Union, it “would not be possible to invite the next chair, if it was a member of the Government of Zimbabwe, to the European Union or to have contacts with the Chair”.  For that reason, the Commission had asked its African colleagues to be aware of that situation and he hoped to find a solution tomorrow.  Discussions were continuing with the members of the Group of 77 and the African Group.  It was clear that the next chair of the Commission had to be from Africa, but it should be somebody with whom other members of the Commission could negotiate.

To that, Mr. Dimas added that the European Union had recently extended for one year its sanctions against Zimbabwe, including the arms embargo, travel ban and the freeze of the assets of President Mugabe and other officials.  Otherwise, the Commission was continuing its contributions to operations of humanitarian character and supported projects that were of great concern for the population of Zimbabwe.

Regarding their expectations for tomorrow, Mr. Gabriel said that those who had “spent many years at these conferences, do not feel good if there are no night negotiations”.  So, tomorrow morning we will have a paper would be available, but what did it mean to have a paper?  If the Commission wanted to resolve the problems of the world, it had to face the problems instead of writing sentences “where everybody could go home and do nothing, like in the past”.  The Commission must send a stronger message.  A discussion of the reform of the Commission was needed, to preserve its relevance and increase its effectiveness.  Today, the Commission was more “of an information desk”, than a decision-making body.

Mr. Dimas said that, the according to the Commission’s current Chair, if agreement was not reached by 6 p.m. tomorrow, there would be no negotiated paper.  He hoped that, by then, the delegates would be able to agree on a satisfactory text.

Asked about an article regarding Germany’s plans to open 26 brown coal plants, Mr. Gabriel said that, while he appreciated the role of the media, the newspaper in question had presented incorrect information.  In reality, the country intended to replace older power plants, which emitted a lot of carbon dioxide, with nine coal-fired power plants, six of them using hard coal.  That would reduce emissions by up to 42 million tons of carbon dioxide.  On the whole, by 2020, the Government of Germany intended to reduce emissions by 270 million tons of carbon dioxide.  The country intended to use the best technologies available today.

Regarding the Commission cooperation with Eastern European States and the Russian Federation, Mr. Gabriel stressed the need to build confidence and ensure respect for contracts.  Contrary to common belief, such respect was required not only from the Russian Federation, but from its partners, as well.  For example, what had happened in the Ukraine and some other countries was not right because “you cannot get gas out of the pipeline without paying the price on the world market”.  He believed the proposals made by the German Foreign Minister to invest in building confidence and encourage a tradition of respecting agreements were highly important.  In fact, such actions would be more important than building a new pipeline.  The normal way was to conduct negotiations on contracts between the oil exporting country, the Russian Federation, and some others, including Germany and Poland, who wanted to use the oil.  At the same time, such client countries as Poland and new Baltic States must have a fair chance to get their energy resources out of the pipeline, and it must be a fair contract.

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For information media • not an official record