EP Delegation to COP 21 inLe Bourget Conference Center in Paris. Statements by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT), Chair of the EP delegation and by Matthias GROOTE (S&D, DE), Vice-Chair of the EP Delegation

conference

statement

Paris

EP delegation

COP 21 (T)

LA VIA, Giovanni (EPP, IT)

GROOTE, Matthias (S&D, DE)

EP Delegation to COP 21: statements by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT), Chair of the EP delegation and by Matthias GROOTE (S&D, DE), Vice-Chair of the EP Delegation

Exterior Le Bourget Conference Center, Paris

Giovanni LA VIA, European Parliament delegation chairman, in the EP delegation room, preparing the exchange of view with the Luxembourg Council Presidency, 3 shots

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT), European Parliament delegation chairman, First of all, we're not finding any of the European Parliament's priorities. We don't find the aviation issue and neither the one concerning the sea pollution which are very valuable to us and cannot be excluded. Furthermore, we're witnessing a much more restrained ambition than the one we expected. We aimed for more but we find less. Without any doubt there is room to review some things and to work in order to make sure that some commitment will be taken into consideration in these last three days of COP. We cannot settle for a partial agreement, the agreement has to be made at a higher level.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT), European Parliament delegation chairman, We fought up from the beginning to make sure that the Paris agreement would be legally binding and this means that there has to be a formal commitment and on the other hand an exact control made by all the players on the respect of the agreement and even sanctions, if needed, for those who don't respect the commitments. This is not present in the text yet and we will fight for it to the last moment until also the Americans, who are the most reluctant ones, will convince themselves that this is necessary for a better future and a cleaner environment.

SOUNDBITE (German), Matthias GROOTE (S&amp;D, DE), European Parliament delegation vice-chair, We have a problem with the text due to the fact that the international maritime and aviation transport is missing. Exactly those two transport sectors are going to grow rapidly in the next 10 years, they are even going to double their volume and that means double emissions. And to really achieve a 2 degree or even a 1.5 degree goal those 2 sectors must be included in an agreement.

SOUNDBITE (German), Matthias GROOTE (S&amp;D, DE), European Parliament delegation vice-chair, The transparency aspect, here for example it must be clear that in an agreement transparency is included so that you can verify at the end, but also that you can correct after 5 years, in the case that you see it is not enough or even in the case it is too much, which I do not expect. To regulate in a corrective way must be anchored in the agreement of Paris and here we are missing elements, but also in the field of finance there are ongoing disputes on how all this should actually be financed.

SOUNDBITE (German), Matthias GROOTE (S&amp;D, DE), European Parliament delegation vice-chair, (On Mr Fabius, President of the COP21, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of France) He had in the run up made it possible to take many people on board, because he is a very clever diplomat. He is a very experienced negotiator and yesterday we had been all very disappointed about the new draft text, but some hours later when you digest and reflect the content it became clear that he is following a strategy that he brings the world, which had until now been in two parts, he managed to bring it together. It would be unexplainable if poor states in industrial developed zones see Greece, for example would have to pay for China. He wants to break this &lsquo;Gordian knot&rsquo; and I find this strategy good, but it must be in parallel with reasonable and ambitious goals and that is the challenge we are facing and hopefully he will manage to solve it.

EP meeting with Dr BIROL, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), (12 shots)