Paris Agreement: After taking ratification hurdle, EU will face enforcement test

04 October 2016
by WWF -- last modified 04 October 2016

The EU is on the finishing line to ratify the Paris Climate Agreement after the European Parliament gave the green light to the European Council’s vote tomorrow. Ultimately, fast ratification will ensure that the EU can present its ratification documents to the UN by Friday.

WWF applauds the EU's ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement tomorrow,  which might tip the accord past a threshold of nations accounting for 55 percent of world emissions, and thereby bring it into force. However, the EU still has much to do both at home and at the international level to prove it is serious about climate action.

"The fast ratification of the Paris Agreement is a display of great resolve and strength by the EU. The same determination must now be used by Member States to go back to the negotiating table and agree on adequate cuts to domestic greenhouse gas emissions for 2030 in order to comply with their Paris commitments," said Imke Lübbeke,  Head of Climate and Energy at WWF European Policy Office.

"At the international level, the EU must not rest on its laurels. Instead, it must roll up its sleeves and play a key role in the international climate negotiations taking place in Marrakech next month. Ensuring that the measures for the ambitious implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement are in place, is key," added Geneviève Pons, Director of the WWF European Policy Office.

The European Policy Office contributes to the achievement of WWF's global mission by leading the WWF network to shape EU policies impacting on the European and global environment.

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