Brussels, 30 March 2001

TO: Environment Ministers of the European Union

Dear Minister,

Developments in Washington D.C. in the last two days have deepened the crisis over the future of the Kyoto Protocol.  Statements by EPA Administrator Whitman, then a White House spokesman and finally President Bush now make it very clear that the United States Administration has definitively and publicly rejected the Kyoto Protocol.

The European Climate NGOs welcome that you will address this important issue at the forthcoming meeting with your colleagues in Kiruna, Sweden. We believe that European Union leadership is critical now for the future of the global climate and urge you to respond positively to the ideas we outline below.

First, we warmly welcome the European Union’s efforts in recent days to forestall this situation and its responses to developments to date, including the European Council Declaration on Climate of 24th March, including its call on “negotiation partners to engage constructively in reaching agreement on modalities for implementing the Kyoto Protocol and to facilitate a successful outcome of the resumed COP-6, which will create the conditions for ratification and entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol by 2002.”   It is our assessment now, however, that the USA will not respond positively to this call and will instead seek to bring forward new, weaker proposals, whose aim would be to replace the Kyoto Protocol.

Given the rejection of the international process by the USA, the European Union and all of its Member States have a special responsibility to take the lead in ensuring that the Protocol comes into force by 2002.  First, the EU must lead by example, by pushing forward its ratification plans and publicly restating its commitment to early implementation of policies and measures to achieve domestic emission reductions.

Second, the EU needs to establish, as a matter of urgency, a high-level coordinated diplomatic effort to ensure that the USA cannot and does not wreck the resumed Climate Negotiations in Bonn in July.  An agreement based on environmentally sound rules is imperative.

We believe that this diplomatic effort should be based on:

a) Building alliances with Central, Eastern European and Baltic countries for ratification of the Protocol in time for Rio+10.
b) Supporting ratification among countries of the Environmental Integrity Group.
c) Persuading the Russian Federation and Japan to support strongly the ambition of securing the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol by Rio+10 in 2002 and to this end, ensure  that CoP-6 bis is able to conclude its business successfully.
d) Forming a common agenda with key members of the developing countries group that wish to see the Kyoto Protocol enter into force by Rio+10, in order to facilitate conclusion of developing country issues at COP-6 bis.
e) Persuading Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway to support efforts to get the Protocol into force by Rio+10 and to maintain their own efforts to implement their respective Kyoto obligations.  We note also that most of the key US allies in the international negotiations on the implementation of the Protocol have expressed concern about the change in US position.  Key Japanese officials, for example, have expressed  dismay and disappointment.

The EU should reject any attempts by the United States to renegotiate or replace the Kyoto Protocol. Furthermore, the EU should not allow the USA to hold ratification of the Kyoto Protocol hostage to CoP-6 bis being able formally to conclude its business.  In this context we would remind Ministers of the modus operandi employed at CoP-2 to obtain a Ministerial Agreement in the face of blocking tactics of the OPEC countries.  The EU needs to explore such procedural possibilities as a matter of urgency with other Parties in order the CoP-6 bis does not become a disaster.

Finally, we note that the shock and disbelief among governments and front-page news worldwide gives testament to the global rejection of this act by the US President, driven as we believe it is by powerful US fossil fuel interests. It is now the case, unfortunately that there is no alternative but for the international community to ratify the Kyoto Protocol without the USA. Now is the time for EU leadership to carry the international negotiations to a successful end and enable the Protocol to enter into force by Rio+10.

Sincerely,

Karla Schoeters, Climate Network Europe (karla@climnet.org, tel: +32 (0)2 231 0180)
Michel Raquet, Greenpeace International (michel.raquet@diala.greenpeace.org, tel: +32 (0)2 280 1400)
Stephan Singer, WWF International (SSinger@wwfnet.org, tel: +32 (0)2 743 8800)
Roda Verheyen, Friends of the Earth Europe (r-verheyen@jura.uni-hamburg.de, tel: +49 179 465 2979)
 

CC: Commissioner Wallström, CG-11 environment ministers