Summary: Climate change: successful conclusion of UN Conference in Montreal - statement by EU Commissioner Dimas (10 December 2005: Montreal/Brussels)
I am proud of the outcome of the Montreal Conference. Montreal is a watershed in the fight against climate change. More than 180 countries accepted sometimes difficult compromises to launch a stronger and forward-looking global effort to fight climate change. This inspiring collaboration and readiness to accommodate each other's concerns is in line with the gravity of the threat and the need for all nations to close ranks and tackle climate change together.
Many developed countries, including the European Union, will take on new commitments when the current emission targets under the Kyoto Protocol expire in 2012. This is giving the Protocol a future. It reassures developing countries that the transfer of clean technologies will continue. It also reassures business that investment in clean technologies will remain worthwhile, and it gives researchers a sense that the demand for new low-carbon technologies will continue to rise.
Developing countries will actively participate in the search for means to combat climate change. The EU will support them, never forgetting that the fight against climate change must also address poverty and development. Building these bridges is key to the EU's efforts.
We have agreed on the details of a five-year programme on adaptation which will identify vulnerabilities while developing and implementing measures to adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change. We have adopted the Marrakech Accords including the compliance mechanism, which will make the Protocol fully operational. And finally, we have also agreed to strengthen and streamline the Clean Development Mechanism, which allows for the transfer of advanced technologies to the developing world.
More than 8 million US$ have been immediately pledged to this end. All this amounts to an enormous achievement we can be proud of, though it should not render us complacent. There is still a hard road in front of us and the harsh realities of coping with climate change.
Europe has led, and will continue to lead, the endeavour to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Its cohesion and collective force is remarkable. We are set to meet our reduction target for 2008-2012. The EU will continue to take the initiative in drawing more countries into the process launched in Montreal. This is just the end of the beginning.
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