Paris climate agreement: Parliament to vote Tuesday on EU ratification

The European Parliament i will vote on Tuesday at noon to give its consent to the ratification of the Paris climate agreement i by the European Union i. A formal signature ceremony will follow, after an address from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon i, in the presence of French environment minister and COP21 President Ségolène Royal, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker i and European Parliament President Martin Schulz i. Political group leaders will also take the floor.

A press conference with Mr Ban Ki-moon, Ms Royal, Mr Schulz and Mr Juncker will follow the ceremony.

You can watch the plenary debate via

You can watch the press conference here

Note for editors

Once approved by the EP in a special vote on Tuesday at around noon, the Council can formally adopt the Decision via an urgent written procedure so that the EU, together with the seven member states that have completed the ratification process, deposit the ratification instruments in the UN headquarters in New York this Friday 7 October.

Seven member states have completed their national domestic processes so far: Hungary, France, Slovakia, Austria, Malta, Portugal and Germany. These 7 MS account for some 5% of global emissions.

Ratifications representing at least 55 Parties and 55% of global emissions are needed for the Agreement to enter into force. To date, 62 Parties, accounting for 51.89% of global emissions, have formally deposited their instruments of ratification. The European Union accounts for some 12 % of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Against this background, and thanks to the EU ratification, the Paris Agreement will into force in time for the COP 22 Climate Change Conference in Marrakech from 7-18 November 2016.

REF. : 20160930IPR44572

Updated: ( 03-10-2016 - 18:25)