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EU Presidency Statement - United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development/Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting: Reaction to the Chairman's Summary

Sommaire: EU Presidency Statement - United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development/Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting: Reaction to the Chairman's Summary (1 March 2007: New York)

Statement by Mr. Stephan Contius, Federal Republic of Germany, on behalf of the European Union, United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development/Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting: Reaction to the Chairman's Summary, New York

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this declaration.

We have come together to this policy session to expedite the implementation of the JPoI commitments in order to advance our fight against poverty, unsustainable production and consumption patterns and natural resources depletion. Action on climate change is equally crucial; CSD can make an important contribution while not duplicating negotiations under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol.

The EU would like to thank the CSD Chair and the Bureau for their efforts in producing this draft negotiating text. However, the current draft creates serious problems. While we appreciate the challenge of capturing all the important elements emerging from this Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting, we had hoped to see a truly all-inclusive draft negotiating text reflecting the policy positions expressed by member states.

The text lacks the richness and ambition of our discussions. It is a significant step back from the commitments of the Rio and Johannesburg Summits.

The text leaves aside quite a few of the most important arguments and proposals, in particular in the area of energy for sustainable development. If we want to live up to the enormous challenges and expectations we are facing, we need to be far more ambitious.

A chapeau text before the thematic sections needs to emphasize that the cross-cutting issues agreed upon in the work programme of the CSD are vital in addressing the interlinked themes of the current CSD cycle.

We also request the inclusion of the following core priorities which we mentioned several times during the past days.

On Energy for Sustainable Development:

• In Johannesburg, we agreed to address energy efficiency and conservation and to substantially increase, with a sense of urgency, the global share of renewable energy sources. The draft negotiating text should reflect these priorities when referring to the energy mix.

• We have to increase global efforts to provide access, especially for the poor, to sustainable, reliable, affordable and environmentally sound energy services. This will contribute to the poverty eradication objective as well as to energy security.

• In order to expedite implementation of JPoI commitments, the CSD has to endorse an effective follow-up and review arrangement for energy, which is an issue without a UN home. This is a priority for the EU as well as for the 88 members of the Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition, who signed a Ministerial Declaration to that effect last year in Dubai.

• This review arrangement should be based on existing data to better identify best practices and success factors, to analyze gaps and barriers and to suggest opportunities. It would, among other things, allow bi- and multilateral donors to better focus their support.

• The CSD should devote time to review and follow-up on energy for sustainable development at its sessions in 2010/2011 and 2014/2015.

• The CSD should recommend that all states integrate diversified energy policies into national sustainable development strategies, poverty reduction strategies or other national planning frameworks by 2010.

• CSD 15 needs to expedite action by all actors. We are fully committed to an action oriented outcome and are therefore asking UN-DESA to start inviting governments and other stakeholders to submit voluntary commitments into a joint "basket", which can be announced as a non-negotiated outcome at CSD 15. The EU is ready to do so and calls on others to join in.
On Industrial Development:


• A clearer reflection of environmental considerations in relation to sustainable industrial development is needed.

• Increased resource and energy efficiency is key to triggering technological innovation. Decoupling economic growth from natural resource use offers the best path to reduce costs, increase competitiveness and employment and reduce environmental degradation in pursuit of sustainable industrial development.

• Full commitment to the Marrakesh Process and its Task Forces to pursue progress in this context should be reaffirmed.

• Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility and Accountability initiatives should be promoted within the context of the UN Global Compact and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational enterprises. ILO standards should be promoted.

• Innovative approaches, such as harmonized eco-labelling and means based on life-cycle thinking need to be applied.

• Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) need to be applied to country level and to regional policies, plans and programmes as well as in development cooperation in order to avert negative impacts of investments.
On Air pollution/Atmosphere:


• It is necessary to take an integrated approach, particularly with regard to Climate Change, taking into account the co-benefits between all the thematic issues of CSD 15 and other relevant policy areas.

• The control of emissions from different sources to mitigate air pollution is of particular importance. This is best implemented by setting emission limit values and should be based on best available techniques. The use of add-on technologies is of great importance for mobile sources, such as heavy duty vehicles and passenger cars.
On Climate Change:


• Urgent action is required to meet the shared and multiple objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the main scientifically-proven cause of climate change. The EU is looking forward to the next COP and COP/MOP in Bali to begin a negotiating process towards a global and comprehensive post-2012 agreement by 2009.

• CSD should help identify concrete solutions to assist countries to move to a low carbon economy and increase resilience, to address the negative impacts of Climate Change on sustainable development and to devise policies to mitigate such impacts, particularly in the most vulnerable countries.
On Interlinkages and Cross-Cutting issues:


• There is a need to much better recognize the linkages between the issues in this thematic cluster and to achieve a better balance between development and environment priorities.

• There is a need to ensure an enabling environment for achieving sustainable development to attract relevant investments and ODA.
In conclusion, the EU wants to see a much improved and more inclusive negotiating text as the basis for constructive discussions in May.

  • Ref: PRES07-030EN
  • Source UE: Présidence UE
  • UN forum: ECOSOC (Conseil économique et social), (y compris Commissions fonctionnelles)
  • Date: 1/3/2007


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