The Committee on Environment, Public Health an d Food Safety (ENVI), adopts a motion for a resolution on COP16 UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, by 35 votes for and 20 votes against, in the European Parliament in Brussels.

Brussels

statement

vote

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

COP 16 (T)

FLORENZ, Karl-Heinz (EPP, DE)

fight against climate change (T)

COP 16: extracts from the vote and statement by Karl-Heinz Florenz (EPP, DE)

Ambience shots during the vote on the motion for a resolution at the ENVI Committee. Chairman, Jo LEINEN (PSE, DE)

SOUNDBITE (German), Karl-Heinz FLORENZ (EPP, DE), I think that the ENVI committee had created a competition of numbers; we could not find the common position to protect the intellectual property of the EU enterprises. This committee had estimated that 25 or 30 would be automatic better and that is not always the case. In such examples had been done too much of a good. I would have loved to see much more realistic numbers.

SOUNDBITE (German), Karl-Heinz FLORENZ (EPP, DE), So this committee had decided to use an amount of financial contribution that is 4 times higher what had been decided so far. But we have to answer in this case as well the question, where does the money come from, as we need to get it from somebody. The ENVI committee had decided not to protect the intellectual property, which means that if smaller of middle sized enterprises in the EU develop a new technology, it would not be sure that their invention will stay theirs due to the climate debate. It might be that the inventor has to renounce his rights and is something we cannot accept when it comes to the smaller enterprises. Here we see several smaller details where we can see an emotional based approach. I think climate policies have to made in a serious way, with a clever mind and based on scientific results, that I missed here today.

SOUNDBITE (German), Karl-Heinz FLORENZ (EPP, DE), This committee had decided that there will be a financial support of 100 billion Dollars each year. As we do not know how we can collect the amount, the committee had said that we could introduce and transaction taxation. We all know that transaction taxation can't be introduced like this by the EU, as taxation policy stays a national politic matter. So this will be the cheques to be paid by our children. That was an emotional decision, emotions are good in general but not in this matter.