Statements by Jo LEINEN (S&amp;D, DE), by Julie GIRLING (ECR, UK) and by Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL), members of the EP Delgation&nbsp;on their participation to UN Climate Conference COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco.

conference

statement

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (T)

GIRLING, Julie (EPP, UK)

LEINEN, Jo (S&D, DE)

GERBRANDY, Gerben-Jan (ALDE, NL)

COP 22 (T)

Marrakech

Morocco

EP Delegation to UN Climate Conference COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco: statements by Jo LEINEN (S&D, DE), Julie GIRLING (ECR, UK) and Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL), members of the EP Delegation

Exterior shots COP venue Bab Ighli, Marrakech, Morocco, delegates and media arriving.

View of the general assembly room, general atmosphere, delegates, participants entering and exiting meeting tents, walking shots

SOUNDBITE (English), Jo LEINEN (S&amp;D, DE), There is a worldwide commitment to really implement the Paris Agreements and nearly 200 states are committed to fulfil their promises and their obligations. I think Marrakesh in this sense was a real success.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jo LEINEN (S&amp;D, DE), China is very fundamental for climate protection, because is the biggest emitter in the world, and I&lsquo;m very happy that the Chinese government is clear and strategic on the transformation of their economy towards a low carbon economy. I think the EU and China should be even more partners to go for mitigation of CO2 emissions and transform our economies with new technologies.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jo LEINEN (S&amp;D, DE), Climate protection is unstoppable, and I think business will drive this agenda, because we have the technologies, the renewable energies, we have efficiency technologies, in the transport sector will get more and more electric cars. So I think the US administration could disturb a bit, but they will not be able to stop it, and that&rsquo;s a good signal. There was confirmation all around the world that we will continue the efforts to really manage global warming, and not to change our direction towards denial climate change.

SOUNDBITE (English), Julie GIRLING (ECR, UK), I think it is very clear that the Paris agreement has a momentum which is... I hesitate to say that is unstoppable because that is rather tempting fate, but it&rsquo;s a very positive momentum. So it seems unlikely to me that whilst there have been no really big declarations and additional commitments here in Marrakesh, likewise it has been no backtracking, so it seems to me that we are on track for delivering the Paris ambition, and particularly around finance there has been a reaffirmation of the 100 billion Climate Fund, and that&rsquo;s a very good thing.

SOUNDBITE (English), Julie GIRLING (ECR, UK), It&rsquo;s very hard to comment on the US position because of course with the election just last week the transition team not in place, we are talking to people who of course we know are not going to be in a position to deliver but I think it what is clear from the way in which they are addressing this is that it is not just a federal government issue; even if the federal government were to do nothing now, in place, in many states, from Iowa with its wind farms to California with its myriad of climate actions, these things are still going to happen because any president can&rsquo;t stop that. So, I think in the States, as elsewhere, the momentum has moved from a government commitment that nobody is quite sure how they are going to deliver, to real work on the ground.

SOUNDBITE (English), Julie GIRLING (ECR, UK), The tone of the Chinese delegation it's entirely different now. We see them at the forefront of climate action, very much talking about new actions that they are taking, at the work that they are doing on the China ETS, so that's joining up all of the provincial, they've been doing some pilot schemes in some provinces and they are now looking at the national scheme on ETS. They openly acknowledge that the EU is, if you like, a benchmark. They have been learning from the way that we did our ETS, so that is really good news because it really does talk about a cooperation which perhaps in the past we would not envisage. So, I have found the whole tone very refreshing, I think we can still express disappointment that they are not part of the &lsquo;high ambition coalition&rsquo;, and they do not set themselves very high targets but then, they always succeed the targets they do set, so it is the Chinese way of doing things, slightly different from ours.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL), If there is one message coming from Marrakesh this week is that the pathway towards 0 emission economy, to 0 carbon emission economy, is irreversible. That is the best message I have seen coming from Marrakesh.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL),  The Chinese were very clear, &lsquo;we will implement what is necessary&rsquo;, not just on the Paris agreement because they are overachieving already but they will implement not regarding what is happening in the outside world. So, even with a US president that might not be as strong in climate change as President Obama, the Chinese will simply continue with their own work.

SOUNDBITE (English), Gerben-Jan GERBRANDY (ALDE, NL), I do not think so, I do not think that the &lsquo;infamous firewall&rsquo; is increasing. I thing that we more and more realize ourselves that we are in the same boat together in the Planet Earth and that we have to work together very strongly. On the other hand, I see more and more people realising that this is not just a moral duty to save the planet, but that there is a very strong economic reason for moving very quickly to this low carbon economy.