Ministers met in Spain, currently president of the European Union, to discuss climate change targets following the disappoint of Copenhagen.

Spain’s secretary for climate change, Teresa Ribera, was speaking at the close of the Informal Council of Environment Ministers EU last night (January 17)

She said ministers had expressed a shared ‘will’ to consolidate a ‘rapid and efficient’ process against climate change.

The secretary insisted on the ‘comparability of efforts’ in the reduction of contaminating emissions, pointing out that the figures of 20 and 30% reduction discussed on different occasions are included among the EU’s arguments in this field.

The union seeks an ‘integrative effort’ according to the secretary, an idea that will be debated next Monday in Brussels by the COREPER (Permanent Representatives Committee) of the EU.

This body will decide whether the EU will cut its own emissions by 30% or whether the known figure of 20 per cent will be finally adhered to.

Teresa Ribera stated that Europe intends to achieve a 30 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020 as compared to the levels of 1990, although she made this target conditional on the actions of other countries.

Mrs Ribera insisted on the improvement accomplished in environmental ‘governance’ which enables rational, efficient use of resources, and said that ‘we must now work to make the Copenhagen Accord a reality’ with a view to the next summit in Mexico.

Luke Walsh

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