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4th March 2002
Press Release:

EU ratification marks important step for international climate Protocol

Today the Council of Environment ministers of the European Union in Brussels agreed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change. The decision demonstrates Europe’s commitment to bringing the climate treaty to life and cutting the Union’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“Today’s decision marks a historic step towards the entry into force of this important treaty” , said Karla Schoeters, director of CAN Europe. “The EU sends a strong signal to other nations that the Protocol is on track for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg.”

It is the political objective of the Union and other countries to have the treaty enter into force before WSSD. This requires ratification of at least the EU, Japan, Russia and a number of Eastern European countries by the 1st of June- more than four and a half years after the Protocol was initially adopted.

“The message will be heard in Moscow and Tokyo and help them to do likewise” , asserted CAN Europe Policy Researcher Matthias Duwe.

Ratification on EU level is expected to also push the same process on national level, where all fifteen Member States have to approve accession to the treaty domestically. While France, Denmark, Luxembourg and Portugal have already received their parliaments’ go-ahead, the eleven others have yet to complete their respective legislatory processes.

“There are less than three months left and some countries need to accelerate their pace. We will keep watching them”, noted Duwe, commenting that today’s important decision was a just another step, though a crucial one, in a long process. “Political leaders must not miss this opportunity to show that they are serious about tackling climate change”, added Schoeters.

For further information: Matthias Duwe +32-(0) 486 - 75 95 25 or email

Note to editors:

1. Article 25 of the Kyoto Protocol stipulates a period of ninety days between the deposit of the legal instrument of ratification which fulfils the necessary threshold and the date of entry into force.

The necessary threshold is also defined in Article 25 of the Kyoto Protocol. There are two basic conditions for the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol. The first one is that at least 55 Parties to the Convention have ratified. However, the key barrier to the Protocol entering into force is not the number of ratifications but ensuring that the industrialised countries (Annex I Parties) that ratify are sufficiently large global warming polluters to exceed 55 per cent of the 1990 CO2.

As of 18 February 2002, 47 Parties have already ratified the Kyoto Protocol but only two of them are listed as Annex I Parties (Czech Republic and Romania), representing 2.4% of the total 1990 CO2 Annex I parties.

2. EU Burden Sharing agreement as adopted in June 1998

for questions, please contact CNE's Matthias Duwe

 

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