Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-02-05-Speech-2-299"
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"en.20020205.14.2-299"2
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"Thank you, Madam President, the Kyoto Agreement is an historic agreement, the basis of which was laid in Rio in 1992. Bush senior was in two minds whether he would actually go to Rio, but he eventually went and signed the Rio Agreement. The attempt to conclude an agreement with the Clinton/Gore administration in The Hague at the end of 2000 failed. It was disconcerting to witness how Bush subsequently discarded the Kyoto Agreement. Fortunately, the breakthrough came in Bonn in July of last year – a major breakthrough – and it is for my group of great importance that nuclear energy plays no role, either with the CDM or with the Joint Implementation
Parliament will ratify the Agreement tomorrow. The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy has already given us a taste of what to expect: 33 votes for, 0 against, 0 abstentions. We will see similar figures tomorrow too. We will be voting unanimously. Hopefully, the Council will do the same, which on 4 March will first need to iron out a minor Danish issue, but I feel confident. Europe has taken the lead, and I, too, should like to thank Commissioner Malmström for her boundless commitment.
As far as the content is concerned: 8% less in Europe and 5% less in the industrialised world, is far from good enough. However, Kyoto is the only international Treaty we have for combating global warming. And like the Ozone Treaty, it will need to be improved many times. But Canada, Japan, Australia and Russia still need to ratify the Treaty first. This will hopefully be done before the Rio Plus 10 Summit meeting in Johannesburg. Like Bush senior, Bush junior is in two minds whether he should go to Johannesburg. Hopefully, like his father, he will decide to attend after all. Last week, we were in Washington with a small delegation, and there are indications that the United States is actually under pressure to change its attitude. The Democrats were embarrassed about the fact that their country was not participating in the Kyoto Protocol, and a number of Republicans too have seen the light. Bush will probably proclaim a national climate policy soon: a modest, partial disengagement from economic growth and energy consumption. Not good enough but far better than what he stated a year ago. We have made it clear that the economic costs of such a policy for America will be greater than the costs of taking part in Kyoto. It is also satisfying that a number of large concerns in the US want America to take part in the Kyoto Protocol. The question is no longer whether, but when, the United States will take part.
Three major questions remain. First of all, there is the implementation. Attaining 8% less is starting to become a serious matter. Then there is the discussion about the objectives following the initial period. One per cent less per annum is a very good start, and I hope that the Commission can confirm this. Finally, the most important and most difficult issue is to persuade the developing countries to come onboard in due course."@en1
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