Doha-delegatie Europees Parlement: klimaatakkoord biedt perspectief (en) - Main contents

The climate deal reached to secure a second stage of the Kyoto Protocol i Saturday at the Doha conference was welcomed by European Parliament head of delegation Matthias Groote and vice-chair Karl-Heinz Florenz, who regretted, however, the EU’s performance during the negotiations because of persisting disagreements between Member states.

The agreement paves the way for an implementation of last year’s Durban decisions, a second stage of the Kyoto Protocol and a more concrete work programme aiming at a global comprehensive agreement from 2020.

“We welcome the fact that a second Kyoto commitment period is secured in the final deal, as well as the “loss and damage” principle", said Matthias Groote (S&D i, DE).

This principle opens the door to future compensation for damage incurred by developing countries’ losses as a result of climate change.

“However, despite this outcome, the two- degree target will become ever more elusive," Mr Groote regretted.

Parliament had called, in a recent resolution for measures to bridge the so-called “gigatonne gap”, the difference between current ambition levels and actual requirements to keep global warming below a rise by 2°C.

Groote: disagreements between Member States should have been addressed earlier

“The EU must be better prepared for the next conference. This morning, the talks nearly collapsed because of disagreements between Member states that should have been addressed before”, he added.

This view was shared by EP delegation vice-chair Karl-Heinz Florenz (EPP i, DE):

“Fortunately, the European Union was able to get its act together and show unity in the end. In future, we should try not to do that only at five to twelve and avoid national egoisms”.

Florenz: efforts to scapegoat the EU

"I don't understand that at some point, some tried to make the EU the scapegoat for a lack of progress - especially because several EU member states, among them Germany, pledged substantive climate finance, and our 30% carbon emissions reduction offer is still on the table", M. Florenz added.