EP Delegation to COP 21 in Le Bourget Conference Center, in Paris. Statements on ongoing negocitations by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT), Chair of the EP delegation, Matthias GROOTE (S&D,DE), Vice-Chair of the EP delegation and Jerzy BUZEK (EPP, PL), Chair of the ITRE Committee

statement

Paris

EP delegation

BUZEK, Jerzy (EPP, PL)

COP 21 (T)

LA VIA, Giovanni (EPP, IT)

GROOTE, Matthias (S&D, DE)

EP Delegation to COP 21: Statements on ongoing negocitations by Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT), Matthias GROOTE (S&D, DE) and Jerzy BUZEK (EPP, PL)

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT), A first aim has been achieved, that is the quinquennial review of the agreements. That means that we will periodically review the goals regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and this was one of the things we wanted as European Parliament in order to be able to improve the objectives and achieve higher targets, if possible, in the time that will pass until the next revision of the protocol.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT), We are definitely disappointed by the fact that, in terms of emissions, aviation and maritime navigation don't appear in the final agreement. This was a Parliament's wish because from now until 2050 these two segments might be responsible for 40% of CO2 emissions. It was important to consider these sectors and we will have to put them back on the table on the first occasion.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT), We are working around words, in order to have a legally binding text that will therefore pledge everyone, even though we will not be using the words "legally binding". We will instead use a different wording that will practically say the same thing so that everyone will be committed and obliged to achieve the objectives.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Giovanni LA VIA (EPP, IT), We surely expect something from today, but after two nights spent working, Laurent Fabius told us this morning around 6 AM "I cannot ask you to keep working at night, so let's go to sleep and discuss about this later". We will certainly have the draft this afternoon and it will be the last draft with small editing and options in order to have the last debate this evening and possibly the final ceremony tomorrow morning announcing the agreement.

Cutaway shot Giovanni LA VIA and Matthias GROOTE, 1 shot

SOUNDBITE (German), Matthias GROOTE (S&amp;D, DE), We are just before the finish line, just before reaching the final goal. Right now it looks like that we get an agreement, a Paris protocol in which the States will agree to keep the temperature rise well below 2 degrees, that must of course go hand in hand with extra measures. We need to look at the text which is just now in the translation process with those elements that had been negotiated last night. At the moment not all is known, but we are disappointed that the shipping and aviation is not included, but we keep following this up, because what was interesting in the last 24 hours in Europe, that the ship owners in Europe have said that they very much regret that they are not included in this. I believe we can work with that, also that there is a will, that sectors that have not yet contributed will finally do so and then finally it become a success, but we must await the final result, the conference got prolonged until tomorrow Saturday.

SOUNDBITE (German), Matthias GROOTE (S&amp;D, DE), I&rsquo;m well optimistic, that we get an agreement and already the fact that 195 States have been seated around a table is a very big success. You really have to congratulate the French COP Presidency and Laurent Fabius, his diplomatic cleverness not only during this conference, but also early in the run up made it possible to bring the people around a table and with sweat of the brow created the basis that brought an agreement on the road.

SOUNDBITE (German), Matthias GROOTE (S&amp;D, DE), We need to achieve this (legally binding agreement) and the pressure will rise in areas or in those states who had been resistant until now, or who complained or who had been not euphoric about this, but at the end of the day we need the private sector and also from the public sector money. Investors want to spend money, but for this they need a legal secured base, otherwise they do not invest. In an unsure field is the risk for an investment too high, the investment need to be written off. We have seen this in the run up to this COP, that pension funds, that insurance companies, that other investors have called for more investment in renewable energies and that there is no investment anymore in dirty old energies, but for this a secured legal situation is needed.

Cutaway shot of the EU corner, 1 shot

SOUNDBITE (English), Jerzy BUZEK (EPP, PL), Chair of the ITRE committee, The negotiations finished at 6 am in the morning, so all night. A 1.5 degrees is mentioned, but it is not committed. We would like to achieve a 2 centigrade temperature growth, it is impossible to achieve more, as it will not be operational. Now we can even say that 2.7 centigrade above the pre-industrial time, so we should probably check our agreement and go for supervision, transparency, monitoring each 5 years with a revision.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jerzy BUZEK (EPP, PL), We don&rsquo;t know as a matter of fact what it means legally binding agreement, for some countries it is real legally binding for some other it means transparency, monitoring and supervision or revision every 5years and that is not the same. For the EU it is very important to keep a united position and to propose long term perspectives, because for financing, for investment it is very important and to convince a country like China for this whole idea. And we met yesterday indigenous people from the Artic and from the Pacific, with quite different problems and they want us to keep 1.5 centigrade and not 2 centigrade, because that will be very dangerous for them.