Summary: May 30, 2002: EU unanimously ratifies Kyoto Protocol to combat climate change (Brussels)
The 15 Member States of the European Union and the European Commission, will jointly present their respective instruments of ratification for the Kyoto Protocol this Friday, May 31st 2002, at UN Headquarters in New York. The formal event will take place at 10.45 a.m. in Press Conference Room 226, and will be followed by a press conference at the same location at 11.00 a.m. Jaume Matas Palou, Minister of the Environment of Spain (the country currently holding the rotating EU presidency),
other EU environment ministers and officials and the European Commissioner for the Environment, Mrs. Margot Wallström, will travel to New York for this momentous occasion.
The EU believes the Protocol is the most effective instrument for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (a major cause of climate change), because it tackles this global problem from a multilateral perspective, and because it includes concrete commitments by the industrialised nations to reduce emissions. With regard to the EU, ratification of this international Treaty involves a double, parallel process: on the one hand, ratification by the European Community, and on the other, ratification
by each Member State.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will meet with the EU representatives at a luncheon to celebrate this occasion at the Residence of the Permanent Representative of Spain to U.N. (18 East 72 St., between Madison and Fifth Avenue).
Note for media:
All UN-accredited media are invited to attend the presentation and the press conference. UN TV will provide live coverage of these events. There will also be a photo opportunity at the beginning of this luncheon (1.15 p.m). EU contacts: Mr. Agustin Galan, Information Counsellor of the Mission of Spain to UN ( Phone 212/6611050 ; Cellular: 917/4152896; E-Mail: agalan@spainun.org) or Mr. George Cunningham, Director, Press &Public Affairs of the Delegation of the European Commission (Phone/
212/4010133;cellular 6463348624, email: george.cunningham@delusny.cec.eu.int )
The European Union is encouraging ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by industrialised countries so that it can enter into force ahead of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10), scheduled to take place in August and September in Johannesburg (South Africa). The EU is also pursing contacts with the United States, a country with which, even though it has not ratified the Protocol, is still engaged in combined scientific and technical efforts in this regard.
To enter into force, the Kyoto Protocol will need to be ratified by at least 55 countries making emission reduction commitments, which together must account for at least 55% of total emissions. There are currently 84 signatories and 54 parties to the Protocol.
The Kyoto Protocol was opened for signature at the UN headquarters in New York on 16 March 1998. The EU Member States all signed it at the same time during the ministerial segment of the Commission on Sustainable Development, which took place in New York on 29 April 1998.
This international Treaty is an important contribution to the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which came into being at the Rio de Janeiro Summit of 1992 and entered into force in 1994.
The aim of the Convention is to stabilize concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are a leading cause of climate destabilisation. The Protocol establishes quantified commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Over the period 2008-2012, emissions worldwide must be reduced by 5% compared with 1990 levels. In practice, the EU needs to reduce its polluting emissions by 8%. With the implementation of the first phase of the European Climate Change Programme, Europe would in 36 months manage to cut between 120 and 178 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, representing 35% of the Union's overall reduction commitment under the Protocol.
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