"Can Europe lead the world on Climate and Aid Policies?" - Speech by EU Commission President Barroso

Sumario: 9 October 2008, Brussels - Speech by José Manuel Durão Barroso, President of the European Commission, "Can Europe lead the world on Climate and Aid Policies?" at the Friends of Europe VIP Policy Summit

Viscount Davignon,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is always a pleasure to be invited to a Friends of Europe Policy Summit, particularly for the stimulating debates they provoke. So I'd like to start by thanking Viscount Davignon for inviting me.

The subject of this year's VIP Policy Summit is climate change and aid. You ask me 'can the European Union lead the world on climate and aid policies?' My short answer is, not only, we can, but we do. Let me explain why.

The transformation of Europe into a low-carbon economy will help to build an economically stronger Europe. After all, the economic case for our energy and climate change package is compelling:

• The costs of climate change will be much higher if we don't make adjustments now;

• Without the package, the EU will be much more vulnerable to energy shocks - with potentially drastic consequences for our economies; and finally

• Change brings big economic opportunities - if the EU exploits its first mover advantage.

You all know the outline of the package, in particular its promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, to increase the share of renewables in energy consumption to 20% and to improve energy efficiency by 20%, all by 2020.

It is important now that we get political agreement on the whole package at the December European Council, and an agreement in first reading at the European Parliament the same month. Because this is the best way, as we head forward into 2009 and the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, to show that Europe means what it says about leading the world towards a low carbon future.

The determination of President Sarkozy and the French Presidency to push the negotiations forward in the Council makes me optimistic that we will meet this ambitious timetable.

The Commission, meanwhile, is not resting on its laurels. Next month we will unveil our second Strategic Energy Review, which will complete and consolidate our energy and climate change action with an EU Energy Security and Solidarity Action Plan.

This will focus on five key areas: Infrastructure needs and the diversification of energy supplies; external energy relations; improved oil and gas stocks and crisis mechanisms; a new impetus on energy efficiency; and making better use of the EU's indigenous energy reserves.

Action in these areas will allow us to move forward on all three of the EU's underlying energy objectives: sustainability, competitiveness and security of supply.

Climate change has a particular impact on developing countries, and Africa in particular. We need to step up our relations because the EU and Africa need to work closely together to ensure that both continents have real long-term energy security.

We have also a special responsibility not to abandon those who risk suffering most from climate change. Our Energy Partnership with the African Union, the regional economic communities and the European Development Fund have a role to play in developing African potential, and in mitigating the worst effects of climate change. Which brings me neatly to the other theme of this policy summit: aid.

The worrying economic situation worldwide is intertwined with the fate of millions of people.

As I said at the UN General Assembly a couple of weeks ago, quoting Bob Zoellick, if media attention is today focused on a financial rescue package, that is no excuse to ignore the urgent need for a human rescue package.

Rising food prices mean 75 million more people face malnutrition this year than in 2005, bringing the total worldwide to nearly 1 billion hungry people.

That is one reason why the European Commission proposed a new €1 billion 'Food Facility' for developing countries. This is on top of the €800 million we have already allocated to short-term measures.

This facility would not be food aid in the classic sense. It would help support agricultural production in the countries worst affected by rising food prices, by giving poor farmers the fertilizers and seeds they need to grow the additional crops the people need.

I was delighted when this approach received a unanimously warm welcome from the UN, Secretary General Ban, the World Bank and all the aid and development agencies present in New York.

So I hope that the Council and Parliament can agree to this proposal soon, as time is running out if we are to make an impact on the 2009 harvest.

At the same time, we remain focused on our longer-term aid ambitions, in particular the imperative of meeting the Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs.

Here too, Europe continues to show the world the way forward, notably when EU Heads of State and Government unanimously adopted the Agenda for Action on MDGs this summer. This provides a necessary boost to our chances of achieving those goals, by clearly setting out a number of intermediate milestones to be reached by 2010.

EU Member States have also confirmed their commitment to boost aid in line with our target to reach, collectively, 0.56% of GNP by 2010 and 0.7% by 2015.

By doubling development assistance, the EU can increase its annual support to education by €4 billion and to health by €8 billion.

It's easy to bandy targets and figures around like this, but what do they mean in practice?

They mean getting 25 million more primary-aged children into school, and hiring and training 6 million extra teachers; they mean 20% fewer children under five who are underweight, and saving 4 million more children's lives each year; they mean 75 million extra bednets in Africa, to reinforce the war against malaria.

But it's not just about more aid, it's also about more effective aid. This means:

• predictability of aid: for example, more direct budget support;

• better division of labour amongst donors, to be more effective in responding to partners; and

• better alignment to national priorities and rules, meaning more output and less bureaucracy.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Europe is indeed leading the world on climate and aid policies. And this should come as no surprise. Every day, as it carries out its normal business, the EU demonstrates the advantages of a multilateral approach to cross-border issues such as trade and climate change. Every day it shows the world that partnerships are the best way of dealing with challenges that affect us all.

And we will stick to this approach to make real progress on the fight against both poverty and climate change.

Thank you for your attention.

Ref: SP08-159EN
Fuente UE: Comisión Europea
Foro NU:
Fecha: 9/10/2008

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