EU pressures developing nations to cut emissions

MEPs broadly acclaimed the Commission's initiative. European Parliament President Hans Gert Pöttering (EPP-ED), gave a "strong welcome" to the proposals. "Today's Strategy Paper is an important next step which aims at bringing our international partners on board too. We will only be successful in the fight against climate change if all of the major industrial countries, including the USA, China and India, together with less developed countries, work together," said Pöttering, arguing that this is a further sign of how seriously the European Union is taking this question.

"We now have an unparalleled opportunity to secure an ambitious global agreement on reducing emissions. The European Commission is right to point out that a fully-functioning carbon market must be extended to other developed nations if it is to be fully effective," said MEP John Bowis,  environment spokesman for the UK Conservatives, underlining that EU leaders should form a united front "to court the Obama administration into action". "The battle of words between Europe and the US over climate change is now over; the battle for the planet must now begin," he said. 

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen,  president of the Party of European Socialists (PES), noted: "Europe must seize the opportunity of the turn around in attitude to climate change in the US, and work closely with America for the best possible new global deal. Of course it is not only about talking to the Obama administration, nonetheless President Obama’s recent statements on climate change can give real momentum to the preparations for Copenhagen. Europe must help sustain that momentum and optimism."

Rasmussen admitted that the proposal was a reasonable start. "It is vital that it is not watered down over the coming weeks and months by those conservatives who usually try to delay and undermine better social and environmental standards. What is needed is vision, and a determination to serve the interests of people and our planet, not lobbying on behalf of this industry or that industry," he said.

The Greens were more critical, saying the Commission proposal "leaves fundamental blanks" in the global climate puzzle. It said the EU should strive to find an ambitious international agreement on cutting emissions from industrialised countries, which would translate into "a collective and domestic 40-45% reduction by 2020, based on 1990 levels". In addition, the Greens said "EU and other industrialised countries need to commit to financing at least half of the reduction effort that needs to be achieved in developing countries. In this regard, we regret that Commission communication fails to set out an ambitious vision and merely rehashes existing targets".

Environmental and development NGOs heavily criticised the EU executive for failing to show leadership and ambition in coming up with financial means to help developing countries to carve a proper response to climate change and ultimately prepare the ground for successful climate negotiations ahead of Copenhagen. 

"There are some good ideas here but the European Commission is ratcheting down its ambition at a time when the world should be stepping up efforts to tackle climate change," said Tom Sharman, head of climate change at Action Aid. "The European Commission is proposing loose commitments to additional public funding but there no numbers," he said.

"Unless developing countries see hard cash on the table, there is a real danger they simply walk away," echoed Oxfam's Elise Ford, arguing that the Commission seems to pander to member states' expected opposition to volunteer funding in time of a severe recession. 

NGOs complained that funding figures contained in earlier drafts of the Commission proposals were taken out. According to a draft published by EurActiv on Monday (26 January), the Commission planned to spend €30bn a year in developing countries by 2020.

Concrete financial commitments are necessary to build trust and to carefully plan potential mitigation and adaptation options in developing countries, stressed Greenpeace EU's  climate and energy policy director, Joris den Blanken, adding that industrialised countries need to commit to at least EUR 110 billion in annual public funding by 2020 for clean energy, forest protection and adaptation. 

"Over the coming months, Europe's leaders need to get serious about finding the money to deliver the deal so that poverty and climate change are tackled hand in hand," said Action Aid’s Tom Sharman.

"Europe’s failure to take a stance on finance was a major cause of the stalemate in last year’s climate talks and these proposals diminish rather than enhance Europe’s position," concluded Sharman. 

"Europe needs to stop anticipating what the rest of the world might do and concentrate on what Europe should do if it wants to reclaim the reputation of leading in the fight against climate change," said Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF's 'New Global Deal on Climate' initiative.