The EU's views on Copenhagen

"This accord is better than no accord … but the level of agreement is honestly not what we have been hoping for".

"This paraphrased quote by European Commission President José Manuel Barroso best encapsulates the views of the European Union after the Copenhagen summit", said Ambassador David Daly, Head of the European Union Delegation to Australia and New Zealand.

"I am somewhat dismayed by the level of pessimism expressed by people and media all round the world including Australia but all was not lost in Copenhagen".

"There is no doubt that the outcome at Copenhagen was disappointing compared to our desire to have a legally binding and ambitious agreement and this remains a matter of concern to many".

"While it may be disappointing, there is no room for negative pessimism. We have to see Copenhagen as an important step but we need many more steps in the future".

"The achievements in Copenhagen should not be underestimated. For the first time, we have an agreement from both industrialised and developing countries, that together cover the major part of the world economy, to pledge cuts to greenhouse gas emissions to keep rising temperatures to a maximum of 2 degrees celsius. We will see now how these pledges translate at the end of January next year".

"It is worth noting that the European Union has committed, and already has in its legislation, emission cuts of 20% by 2020 and is prepared to go to 30% if our partners across the world rise to the challenge of fighting climate change. We have also kept our commitment regarding the support to developing countries with our pledge of €2.4bn annually for the years 2010 to 2012".

"As President Barroso said, the European Union's commitment of a 20% cut in emissions will be delivered, even unilaterally - our commitments are not just words in press releases, they are binding for all European Union Member States.

"We must not overlook that Copenhagen produced three building blocks which we can build on in the future: emission reductions, finance, and transparency".

"For its part the European Union is committed to continue action on climate change. In the Barroso Commission Mark II, we have in Connie Hedegaard, the new position of Commissioner for Climate Action, further demonstrating the importance the EU attaches to fighting global warming."

"We now all need to take this process into a new phase and learn the lessons from Copenhagen to bring world leaders together to meet their responsibilities for future generations", concluded Ambassador Daly.

ENDS

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