Environment Commissioner Dimas questioned by Environment Committee on EU strategy for COP-15
Tuesday, 10 November 2009 10:38 | 
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Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas presented what he believes to be the main challenges facing the EU, ahead of the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December, to the Environment Committee last week. Addressing the MEPs for perhaps the last time before the new Commission comes into power at the beginning of next year, he outlined the key areas where progress was still needed.
In his view efforts should now be concentrated on three different areas. First of all the EU needs to work out how to ensure that developing countries accept and implement ambitious goals for emissions reductions, whilst secondly looking to ensure appropriate emission reduction targets for industrialised economies as well. The last important challenge, is to find the necessary funding to help developing countries meet their targets, saying that between €20-50 billion would be needed annually by 2020 to fight climate change.
He stated that emission reduction targets should be based on local conditions and therefore ability to pay, but urged ‘developing countries to follow the European example in reducing emissions by pledging to cut them by 30% by 2020’. Dimas was critical of industrialised countries who he feels have made insufficient commitments, including the US, Canada and Russia.
MEPs were then given a chance to react, with Linda MacAvan, a British MEP and GLOBE EU member, expressing her concerns that the rejection of legislation on carbon leakage could pose a problem. Mr Dimas replied that the legislation could still be revised after an agreement in Copenhagen in 2010.
Chris Davies, another British MEP and GLOBE EU member, was curious about the changes in setting the targets, which in September were presented as preventing the 2 degree temperature rise. To this Mr Dimas responded that this was just a negotiating position, and that the EU would be pushing for clear and ambitious targets for all parties. Finnish MEP and Vice-President of GLOBE EU Satu Hassi, meanwhile expressed her concerns during the meeting that industry lobbies would water down the agreement.
In his view efforts should now be concentrated on three different areas. First of all the EU needs to work out how to ensure that developing countries accept and implement ambitious goals for emissions reductions, whilst secondly looking to ensure appropriate emission reduction targets for industrialised economies as well. The last important challenge, is to find the necessary funding to help developing countries meet their targets, saying that between €20-50 billion would be needed annually by 2020 to fight climate change.
He stated that emission reduction targets should be based on local conditions and therefore ability to pay, but urged ‘developing countries to follow the European example in reducing emissions by pledging to cut them by 30% by 2020’. Dimas was critical of industrialised countries who he feels have made insufficient commitments, including the US, Canada and Russia.
MEPs were then given a chance to react, with Linda MacAvan, a British MEP and GLOBE EU member, expressing her concerns that the rejection of legislation on carbon leakage could pose a problem. Mr Dimas replied that the legislation could still be revised after an agreement in Copenhagen in 2010.
Chris Davies, another British MEP and GLOBE EU member, was curious about the changes in setting the targets, which in September were presented as preventing the 2 degree temperature rise. To this Mr Dimas responded that this was just a negotiating position, and that the EU would be pushing for clear and ambitious targets for all parties. Finnish MEP and Vice-President of GLOBE EU Satu Hassi, meanwhile expressed her concerns during the meeting that industry lobbies would water down the agreement.
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