The EU has delivered three post-Copenhagen climate papers this year. The first one was a set of recommendations by the European Commission and it was followed by real decisions, first by the environment ministers and later also a few paragraphs from the heads of state.

 

 

All three papers follow the same step-by-step narrative of the EU’s next steps after Copenhagen.

 

    * Confirm the EU’s commitment to a legally binding outcome

    * Confirm the EU’s commitment to the UN process 

    * Confirm the EU’s commitment to the two negotiation tracks 

    * Stress the importance of quick implementation of the Copenhagen Accord 

    * The ‘political guidance’ of the Accord must be integrated into the negotiation texts. 

 

 

 

Here’s few more details, in reverse order, so that I can start with heads of state.

 

 

EU Heads of State 26.3. 

 

    * The two Bonn meetings in April and June should establish a roadmap for taking the negotiations forward.

    * The focus should be on integrating the political guidance of the CA into various negotiating texts.

    * Cancún to provide concrete decisions anchoring the CA to the UN negotiating process and address the remaining gaps.

    * The EU reconfirms their pledge of €2.4bn annually between 2010 and 2012 in fast-start funding. 

    * €2.4bn fast start funds would primarily go to REDD+ and technology transfer.  

    * Confirms the industrialised country commitment to provide $100bn per year by 2020.

 

    * Full text available here

 

 

EU Environment Ministers 15.3.

As above:

 

    * The EU is committed to legally binding outcomes of the UN process.

    * Timely delivery of political commitments made under the CA is important.

    * The political guidance of the CA needs to be integrated into the official UNFCCC negotiating texts. 

    * etc..

 

And also:

 

    * Repeated the old conditional/comparable language around the -30% emissions reductions target

    * BUT the European Commission was invited to assess the comparability of current targets and update the -30% impact assessment by June for the EU’s unilateral move.

    * The EU and all member states are to develop their own low carbon development strategies for 2050.  

    * Conclusions call for concrete and successful outcomes in Cancún, but leave the question of the EU’s solution to legal architecture as vague and unclear as it was before Copenhagen.   

    * The EU will deliver a first report on fast-track funding disbursement at a UN meeting in June

    * In the context of the Cph Accord includes a reference to 1,5 degrees

 

    * Full text available here

 

 

The European Commission communication 9.3. "International climate policy post-Copenhagen: Acting now to reinvigorate global action on climate change." This Communication was the EC’s input to the Ministers discussions.  

 

In addition to the above, the EC communication also

 

    * Starts to build the economic case for the EU’s unilateral -30% cut.

    * Very clearly points out the loopholes (surplus AAU’s and LULUCF) in current target pledges put forward by industrialised countries. The commission estimates that, combined, these could wipe out rich countries' CO2 reduction pledges registered under the Copenhagen accord.

    * Acknowledging the huge gap between the goal of keeping global average temperature rise below 2 degrees and current policies in the EU and internationally.

    * Sees the need for a re-evaluation of the European Union’s negotiation strategy for international climate negotiations.

    * Believes a legally binding outcome in Mexico is unlikely, but that it would seek such an outcome at the end of 2011 in South Africa instead. 

    * The European Commission will investigate alternative legal frameworks for a deal, including a second commitment period under Kyoto.

 

    * Full text available here