Commissioner Wallström's Speech on WSSD outcome

Introductory Remarks

We welcome this opportunity to present the European Commission's assessment of the outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development that concluded in Johannesburg three weeks ago today.

• It is rather early to make a definitive assessment of the outcome of Johannesburg. Time and our own committed political efforts - will tell if this Summit will deliver where Rio did not. As we said repeatedly at the end of the negotiations, we have the words. It is now the duty of all of us to turn these words into effective deeds.
  
  
• I will not over-simplify and try to sum up the Summit in one word as either a "success" or a "failure". But overall, the European Commission believes that we can be satisfied with the results of Johannesburg. We succeeded in adding new momentum to the cause of sustainable development. The outcomes of the Summit take us in the right direction.
  
  
• Of course people will draw comparisons with the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The immediate assessment of some NGOs and others in the period after Rio was that it had been a failure. Now it has come to be seen as a defining moment in the fight for sustainable development.
  
  
• But the Rio Summit was very different from Johannesburg in some important respects. Most importantly, the political climate in 2002 is very different from ten years ago.

• Against a difficult political backdrop, it fell largely to the European Union to champion the cause of sustainable development in Johannesburg.
  
  
• Let me remind you of how the European mandate was determined. In preparing for the WSSD, the Commission issued two specific Communications: one in February 2001, entitled 'Ten years after Rio: preparing for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002', and a second one in February 2002, entitled 'Towards a global partnership for sustainable development'.
  
  
• Building upon these Communications, the Council adopted several sets of conclusions in 2001 and 2002, in which the European Union's negotiating platform for the WSSD was defined. It is worth noting specifically the Development Council conclusions of 30th May 2002, which list in detail the EU's priorities. The European Parliament also issued its opinion in a Resolution adopted 16 May 2002.
  
  
• In substantive terms, we worked to undertake further steps towards the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, in particular the goal of halving the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015. Poverty eradication was the over-arching theme to which we linked all the concrete issues. The Union argued that we had to show real commitment by setting quantifiable targets, with timetables and monitoring mechanisms, in the Implementation Plan.

• Let me now focus in particular on some key achievements reached in Johannesburg.
  
  
• The first element I would like to highlight is that a set of new targets has been agreed as part of the Implementation Plan. Let me mention five:
  
  
  
• - Halving by 2015 the proportion of people lacking access to basic sanitation this currently stands at three billion people, half of the total world population. This new target complements the Millennium Development Goal on access to clean water.
  
• - Commitment to minimize harmful effects on human health and the environment from the production and use of all chemicals by 2020.
  
• - Commitment to halt the decline of fish stocks and restore them to sustainable levels no later than 2015.
  
• - Commitment to begin implementation of national strategies on sustainable development by 2005.
  
• - Commitment to halt the loss biodiversity by 2010, as earlier agreed by the Parties to the Biodiversity Convention. The endorsement by all Heads of State and Government is a major achievement.
  
  
  
• The agreement to establish a ten-year framework for programmes on sustainable consumption and production, with industrialized countries taking the lead in this global effort, is another important result.
  
  
• On globalization, the Summit has agreed concrete actions to enhance the role of trade for sustainable development, for example by encouraging trade in environmentally friendly and organic products from developing countries and by strengthening international action for corporate responsibility.
  
  
• The EU's objectives on energy were addressed in the Council conclusions of 30th May 2002, in which the EU reaffirmed its commitment to facilitating the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people in extreme poverty and other MDGs by 2015, through the provision of adequate, affordable and sustainable energy services.
  
  
• In line with its general position in favor of a focused and result-oriented implementation plan, the EU also supported, among other things, the establishment of a quantitative, time-bound target to increase the portion of renewable energy within the overall energy mix.
  
  
• Although we were ultimately not able to get a specific target for renewable energy sources in the Action Plan, we did reach an agreement to increase urgently and substantially the global share of renewable energy sources. We also agreed to take joint actions to improve access of the poor to energy. Those agreements will be regularly evaluated and progress reviewed.
  
  
• In addition, the European Union launched a "coalition of the willing" on renewable energy. This includes countries and regions willing to set themselves targets and timeframes for the increase of renewables in the energy mix.
  
  
• This coalition maintains pressure on the unwilling and should give a boost to the development of renewable energy throughout the world. Significantly, this coalition will set a renewable energy target representing a floor as opposed to a ceiling.
  
  
• Linked to this, on climate change there have been positive developments. Those who have already ratified Kyoto have confirmed their commitment to entry into force at the earliest possible date and others are urged to join as soon as possible. The announcements made by Poland as well as the Russian and Canadian Prime Ministers mean that the Protocol should enter into force very soon.

• The European Commission spoke with one strong voice in Johannesburg. As the Commissioner for environment, I shared with Poul Nielson (Commissioner for Development) the responsibility as chef de file in the preparations for Johannesburg. Depending on availability and schedules we participated ourselves in the high-level negotiation sessions at ministerial level at the WSSD Summit. Co-ordination was further enhanced by the presence in Johannesburg of the President of the Commission.
  
  
• I am now pleased to hand over to my colleague Poul Nielson who will speak, amongst other things, about the need for follow-up and implementation of our WSSD commitments.

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• Commissioner Wallström promotes New Environmental Partnership at Kiev Conference (19/5/2003)
• EU Presidency Statement - Sustainable development (17/10/2002)
• EU launches coalition at WSSD to deliver renewable energy goals  (3/9/2002)
• EU stresses commitment to combat illegal logging at WSSD (31/8/2002)
• Commissioner Fischler welcomes WSSD agreement to prevent overfishing  (29/8/2002)
• Statistics for WSSD (23/8/2002)
• The Kyoto Protocol and climate change (31/5/2002)
• European Union ratifies the Kyoto Protocol (31/5/2002)
• EU-US Joint Statement on climate change (23/4/2002)
• Protocole de Kyoto et le changement climatique (4/3/2002)