Paris climate deal signing ceremony – Photo EC
(STRASBOURG) – In a ceremony attended by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the European Parliament approved and signed the Paris agreement on climate change Tuesday, paving the way for it to enter into force next month.
With European Parliament approval of the Paris Agreement ratification in the presence of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the President of COP 21 Ségolène Royal and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker a final hurdle for the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal is cleared.
“Our collective task is to turn our commitments into action on the ground”, said the EU’s Commissioner for Climate Action Miguel Arias Canete: “And here Europe is ahead of the curve. We have the policies and tools to meet our targets, steer the global clean energy transition and modernise our economy. The world is moving and Europe is in a driver’s seat, confident and proud of leading the work to tackle climate change”.
For the Agreement to enter into force, ratifications representing at least 55 Parties and 55% of global emissions are needed. While the first condition is already met, the Parliament’s vote allows the second to be met too, thus triggering the entry into force.
The EU will now join the US, China and India, other global players and major greenhouse gas emitters, at a November meeting of Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) in Marrakesh.
So far 62 parties, accounting for almost 52 % of global emissions, have ratified the Paris Agreement.
Now that it has Parliament’s consent, the EU Council can formally adopt the Decision via a written procedure, so that the EU, together with the seven member states that have completed the ratification process, can deposit the ratification instruments in the UN headquarters in New York by Friday 7 October.
Against this background, and thanks to the EU ratification, the Paris Agreement will enter into force in time for the COP 22 Climate Change Conference in Marrakesh from 7-18 November 2016.
