Els líders de la UE, reunits ahir i abans d’ahir a Brussel.les a la cimera de Brussel.les, posen novament en qüestió el compromís i la voluntat de lideratge de la UE en la lluita contra l’escalfament global. Confirmats els pitjors presagis, els acords adoptats pels caps d’Estat i de Govern comportaran molt negatives implicacions per a les dues propostes legislatives pensades, teòricament, per fer front els objectius de la UE en quant a reducció d’emissions (se´n salva només lel paquet legislatiu de les renovables). Adjunto la nota que vàrem treure ahir al vespre:

(NdP 12/12/2008) Raül Romeva: “Els acords del Consell Europeu posen de manifest la manca d’ambició de la UE en la lluita contra el canvi climàtic” (segueix…)

En matèria de canvi climàtic, alguns governs nacionals plantejaven l’ajornament dels compromisos ja adquirits al·legant la inviabilitat d’aquests acords en un context de crisi econòmica, tot i que finalment s’han mantingut tots els objectius per al 2020. “Si bé sentim un alleujament moderat pel fet que no s’hagin suprimit totalment els compromisos inicials, és decepcionant constatar la subhasta per rebaixar les condicions de diversos sectors en funció dels interessos nacionals; el resultat és el mínim denominador comú. A més, no podem oblidar-nos que amb aquests no n’hi ha prou encara i per tant no hem fet cap pas endavant, simplement n’hem evitat un molt gran cap enrere”, ha afirmat Romeva.

L’eurodiputat ecosocialista s’ha mostrat satisfet que finalment les polítiques econòmiques i monetàries es posin al servei de la societat i s’alineïn amb les necessitats conjunturals del moment. “És positiu que finalment es decideixi flexibilitzar -encara que de manera insuficient- el Pacte d’Estabilitat, davant un context en que cal que els Estats inverteixin, i per tant que s’endeutin, per salvar l’economia. Trencar aquesta barrera fins fa mesos era impensable, però això combinat amb les darreres baixades de tipus d’interès del BCE en demostra que el paradigma neoliberal imperant fins ara a la UE s’està desmuntant”.

Finalment, pel que fa a l’acord per a la celebració d’un nou referèndum a Irlanda per a la ratificació del Tractat de Lisboa, Romeva ha mostrat escepticisme en relació a l’horitzó temporal escollit. Els vint-i-set han decidit que la nova consulta irlandesa tingui lloc abans del proper novembre, termini en el qual s’ha de constituir la nova Comissió Europea per al mandat 2009-2014, que finalment -com sol·licitava el govern irlandès- es composarà d’un comissari per estat. “Tornar a un comissari o comissària per estat és, a banda de poc operatiu, un pas enrere en la concepció d’un veritable govern europeu”. Irlanda ha posat com a condició, entre d’altres, el blindatge per a la seva legislació nacional restrictiva en matèria d’avortament. “És inacceptable”, ha afirmat Romeva, vicepresident de la comissió parlamentària de drets de les dones i igualtat de gènere: “A banda dels dubtes democràtics que generaria cedir a aquest tipus de condicions unilaterals, estem parlant no només d’una discriminació envers les ciutadanes irlandeses sinó també d’un atac gravíssim contra els drets fonamentals de les dones que la UE no pot tolerar.

Així mateix, adjunto a continuació els comentaris de tres dels meus companys del grup  Verds/ALE al Parlament Europeu especialment dedicats a seguir les qüestions energètiques i de l’escalfament global: la finesa Satu Hassi, la britànica Caroline Lucas i el luxemburguès Claude Turmès :

EU climate package: Climate policy in meltdown as EU leaders consider tearing climate laws to shreds

Finnish Green and vice-chair of the EP environment committee Satu Hassi and UK Green Dr Caroline Lucas said:

“EU climate leadership is in meltdown. The proposals currently on the table for consideration by EU leaders are really an exercise in poor law-making and represent the lowest possible common denominator.

“This dramatic retreat on the climate package of legislation could not come at a worse time: with UN climate talks currently underway in Poznan, the eyes of the world are on the EU. The EU’s credibility as a leading actor on climate change is in freefall. It’s not too late for heads of state and government to intervene and save face.

“The only good news from the summit is that the agreement on renewables will not reopened by heads of state. Greens are proud to have at least secured this legislation which will put renewables at the heart of EU energy policy and make them the number one energy source for the 21st century, bringing the EU 2 million jobs and a huge export industry.”

Commenting on the current discussions on the EU’s emissions trading scheme, UK Green MEP and shadow draftsperson Caroline Lucas stated:

“The proposals on ETS currently being considered risk creating a monster. Allocating such a large proportion of emissions permits for free, as the summit is contemplating, would turn the ETS into a windfall profit machine for Europe‘s most polluting industries. Instead of learning from the lessons of the first phases of the ETS, EU leaders seem intent on repeating them – creating laws that would subsidise these industries and delay our transition to a cleaner more sustainable economy.

“Based on the current drafts, outmoded power sectors could potentially get exemptions from the auctioning of permits throughout the term of the scheme until 2020. Nearly all the remaining industry sectors would also get all their emissions permits for free under the cover of so-called ‘carbon leakage’. The criteria proposed would ensure that 96% of the remaining emissions under the ETS would be considered to be exposed to carbon leakage – in most cases despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary – and therefore eligible for free allocation.”

Proposed ‘effort sharing’ legislation on emissions reductions from other sectors (covering 55% of emissions and including transport, agriculture and domestic heating and cooling) is also being drastically weakened. Commenting on this proposal, the European Parliament’s draftsperson and head negotiator, Finnish Green MEP Satu Hassi, stated:

“The proposals on the table make a mockery of the EU’s hitherto proclaimed leadership on climate change. EU governments are proposing to outsource the vast majority of their emissions reduction effort through external offsetting – close to 80% of the reduction targets could be offset. This is completely inconsistent with the scientific recommendations for delivering emissions reductions within developing countries.

“Outsourcing our emissions reductions is not just scientifically unsound, it is ethically wrong. It means the EU could cherry pick the cheapest climate mitigation potential in developing countries in order to prolong our own unsustainable model. This neo-colonial approach to climate policy completely undermines the EU’s credibility in international climate negotiations. EU leaders must rectify this before it’s too late.”

Further information and comment are available on the “Stop climate change” website

EU Summit: Summit deals serious blow to EU’s climate leadership

EU heads of state and government today reached agreement to seriously weaken the proposed ‘climate package’ of legislation. Commenting on the negotiations and the outcome, Green MEP and European Parliament draftsman for the EU’s renewable energy legislation Claude Turmes said:

“After what can only be described as a free-for-all, EU governments have shamefully torn EU emissions reduction legislation to shreds, producing a lowest common denominator compromise. With each government acting as a lobbyist for its own polluting industries, the summit has seriously damaged this crucial legislation, dealing a serious blow to the EU’s climate leadership. I hope the European parliament negotiators will do their utmost to repair the damage before the plenary vote takes place.

“EU governments have sent a disturbing signal to the international climate negations, using the economic downturn as an excuse to water-down climate policies, despite evidence that this is not in the interest of these economies. They are not willing to initiate the necessary policies but still expect developing countries, who are starting from an infinitely lower base of economic development, to do so.

“Considerable exemptions for industries (and even the power sector) from the auctioning of emissions permits under the emissions trading scheme, risk turning the scheme into a windfall profit generating machine for those industries – rather than acting as a real incentive to modernise the economy.

“EU leaders also approved increases to levels of external offsetting, so that a significant proportion of the emissions reduction effort (by industries and countries) will now be outsourced to be delivered in developing countries through the purchase of external offsets. This is not just scientifically unsound, it is ethically wrong. It implies a neo-colonial approach to climate policy by which the EU could cherry pick the cheapest climate mitigation potential in developing countries in order to prolong our own unsustainable model.

“The only really positive news from the summit is that the recent agreement on EU legislation for renewable energies has been maintained. This legislation will stimulate major investment in renewables, creating 2 million jobs and confirming EU leadership in what is a key industry of the 21st century.

“All is not lost. As part of an international agreement, it is clear that the EU will have to fulfil its commitment to increase the levels of its emissions reductions. This will also provide an opportunity to review the emissions reduction legislation (ETS and effort sharing), now set to be signed off, to make it more robust.”

Font foto: AP/BBC