The proposal for ratification of the Paris Agreement published today by the European Commission ahead of original schedule reflects growing political will to secure a rapid ratification of the landmark Agreement in the EU.
The EU executive’s proposal published today, a month earlier than initially planned, specifies that the EU will join the Agreement once it is ratified both by the EU institutions (namely the EU Council, with a consent of the European Parliament) and by the relevant institutions in each of the 28 EU countries.
Hungary is the only EU country to ratify the Agreement so far, and France is on track to endorse it by the end of this month. More countries have indicated that they would ratify the Paris Agreement this year, including Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal and Sweden.
“EU ratification can be a long and difficult process, however it is likely that it will be concluded in 2017” – Wendel Trio, Director of Climate Action Network Europe said. “The accelerated ratification timeline sends a signal of commitment to meeting the Paris Agreement. Next to the swift ratification, the EU needs to make sure its policies are coherent with what was agreed in Paris and increase its climate targets in time, before the next political moment in 2018.”
A new report released by Climate Analytics yesterday confirms that the EU needs to overhaul its climate and energy policies to make sure they fit with the 1.5°C Paris goal. The analysis shows that for a 50% chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, the EU’s climate target for 2030 should be raised from at least 40% to 75%, to reflect its fair share of efforts to tackle climate change.
The EU, responsible for around 10% of global emissions and the third biggest emitter in the world, is speeding up its ratification process under international pressure to bring the Paris Agreement into effect already in 2016. The Agreement will enter into force when at least 55 countries have ratified it, representing at least 55% of total greenhouse gas emissions. So far 17 countries have ratified the Agreement, and 25 more have indicated intention to ratify it by the end of this year. Together they cover around 52% of global emissions.
As the next step in the EU ratification process, EU Environment Ministers will discuss the Commission’s proposal during their meeting on 20 June.
ENDS
Contact:
Ania Drazkiewicz, CAN Europe Communications Coordinator, ania@caneurope.org, +32 494 525 738
Wendel Trio, CAN Europe Director, wendel@caneurope.org, +32 473 170 887
Notes:
European Commission, Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION on the conclusion on behalf of the European Union of the Paris Agreement adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, http://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/1/2016/EN/1-2016-395-EN-F1-1.PDF
Climate Analitics, What does the Paris Agreement mean for Finland and the European Union?, http://climateanalytics.org/publications/2016/what-does-the-paris-agreement-mean-for-finland-and-the-european-union.html
Climate Analitics, Projected Paris Agreement total ratifications in 2016, http://climateanalytics.org/hot-topics/ratification-tracker-projections.html
Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe is Europe’s largest coalition working on climate and energy issues. With over 130 member organisations in more than 30 European countries – representing over 44 million citizens – CAN Europe works to prevent dangerous climate change and promote sustainable climate and energy policy in Europe.
