EU neemt maatregelen tegen klimaatverandering na 2012 (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU environment ministers agreed on Thursday (10 March) to call on developed nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 15 to 30 per cent by 2020 and 60 to 80 per cent by 2050.

The ministers also urged the European Council to "endorse" measures to reduce climate change, and to make the Lisbon Strategy (the EU's Competitiveness strategy) greener.

Speaking at a press conference after a day of negotiations, Luxembourg's Environment minister Lucien Lux, who presided over the Council, was satisfied.

"It is urgent that we get moving on this", he said, noting that "there is still a lot of work to be done in the next weeks".

However, environmental concerns "should not slow down the growth of Europe, but also work as a propeller", said Mr Lux. The ministers also underlined the role of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in eco-innovation and job creation.

The decision is a "political message" for a meeting of EU leaders later this month (22-23 March).

The EU's environment message will also be taken to a G8 meeting of environment ministers set to take place next week in the UK, said the minister.

Greenhouse cuts

The Council's conclusions include an agreement for developed nations to follow "emission reduction pathways" of 15% to 30% by 2020 and 60% to 80% by 2050, compared with 1990 levels.

The reductions are a follow-up of the international treaty on climate change, the Kyoto protocol, which ends in 2012.

"Let me be clear on this point: I very much support the notion of targets", said the EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas i.

Yet, "setting ambitious targets at this moment risks leaving others behind in climate change negotiations", he underlined.

The EU aims to press for an international coalition with other major emitters in the forthcoming Buenos Aires conference on climate change.

Europe is particularly keen on pressing the US to join the Kyoto protocol. "We have had some positive sounds from the US recently", he added.

Convincing developing countries such as China, India and Brazil will be tricky, as they have long claimed the emission restrictions are unfair and hinder their own development.

But the EU's decision was welcomed as a positive sign by green groups.

"This is a clear signal to the world that the European Union will keep pushing for deeper cuts in greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2012", said Oliver Rapf, Senior Policy Officer for Climate Change at the WWF.