The EU pressures Poland to avoid criticism of lack of ambition at COP23

The Commissioner of Action for Climate, Miguel Arias Cañete, has summoned urgently the EU ministers at the climate summit Bonn tomorrow to address the non-ratification by Poland of its climate commitments to 2020, and avoid criticism received by developing countries.

Bonn (Germany), Nov 15 (EFE) .- The Commissioner for Climate Action, Miguel Arias Cañete, has summoned the EU Ministers at the Bonn climate summit to urgently address tomorrow the non-ratification by Poland of its climate commitments to 2020, and avoid the criticisms received by developing countries.

For the latter, the actions that are Developing countries in terms of mitigation and support to poor nations before 2020, within the framework of the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol, are fundamental for provide them with the necessary confidence to comply with the Paris Agreement, which for the first time includes obligations for them as of 2021.

They want to make sure that the main responsible for climate change have done their duties prior to the Paris Agreement, for them to be able to do their own.

And those duties have a name: "The Doha Amendment", with which they extended the commitments of the Kyoto Protocol for rich countries until 2020, at the 2012 Qatar climate summit.

The claims of developing countries, flagged by India and China, and called "Ambition pre 2020" in the jargon of the negotiations, have blocked the advance in the drafting of the rule book for the Paris Agreement to work, which should elaborate COP23, and has led the European Commission to look at Poland, the only one of its member countries that has not ratified that amendment.

Not having ratified all of its members, the EU as a whole, which is also a party to the UN climate change convention, has not been able to do so, despite the fact that Arias Cañete considers the instrument of EU ratification "is ready".

"At COP23 our ambition has been questioned because we have not ratified the Doha amendment. we have exceeded what we promised in that amendment, but I understand that it is a question with a very symbolic value for the developing countries, and tomorrow I will gather the ministers to look for a solution, "the commissioner explained in an interview with Efe.

Arias Cañete confirmed that he has convened all the senior representatives of the countries in the early morning. members of the union at COP23 to reach an agreement that "leaves no doubt in the developing countries of the ambition and leadership of the EU in the fight against change climatic ".

The commissioner wants to ask Poland directly when it will ratify the amendment - he said he would do it but not when - and ask ministers if they authorize the Commission to ratify the amendment, even though all of its member countries have not yet done so, as happened with the Paris Agreement.

"In any case I hope that Poland will have the Doha amendment ratified before next year's climate summit in Katowice (Poland) ", the COP24, the commissioner underlined.

Nonetheless, Arias Cañete insisted that the EU is on its way to exceed its objectives by 2020. It will achieve a 26% reduction in emissions compared to 20% committed and will allocate 20,200 million euros (23,600 million dollars) in financing climatic until 2016.

The emergency meeting convened by the Commissioner takes place, however, after the COP23 today reached an agreement on "Ambition pre 2020", and that the countries The Commission agreed to give more importance to the issue by dedicating a high-level session to the next two climate summits, the commissioner said.

The European Commission does not want leave the minimum apex of doubt of the EU climate leadership: "The Federal Government of the United States is on vacation in this matter, and that requires additional efforts," said Arias Cañete, who has created a coalition with China and Canada to promote climate action.

"It's something that we did in the past in a very active and coordinated way with our friends. Americans, now it is not possible, therefore, those of us who were clear about it have created this alliance ", which met last September in Montreal and will do it again in Europe in 2018.

Arias Cañete qualified that the United States "is a country not just a government, and everything that its states, cities and companies have done in the alternative pavilion at this summit reflects that there is action climate on the ground ".