EU Parliament Rectifies Climate Change Call, after MEPs' Criticism, for COP25 Hastily moved to Spain

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- Many Last-Minute Modifications were Voted by a Majority in EU Parliament Today at the Draft Resolutions on Climate Change and the "COP 25" International Summit, next week in Spain, so that they can Reflect that Aspiration for a kind of "Re-Balancing", in the proposed Concrete Measures, from an Economic, Social and Democratic points of view, which had been Expressed by Many, even Mainstream, MEPs, already since the relevant Public Debate of Last Monday in Strasbourg, (See: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/mepsaskbalancedmeasuresonclimat.html, etc).

These Modifications obviously aim to Bring Climate Change Policy closer to most People's aspirations and needs, without harming them excessively, neither droping anyone alone, particularly after a Strong Criticism by many MEPs against risks of abuse or excess, and while USA has, notoriously, just Started the Official Legal Procedure for its Withdrawal from the Paris' Agreement, Followed by an UnPrecedented ...Threefold Impossibility to Organize that "COP 25" in Chile (as initially scheduled), Neither in Brazil, (as it had been, meanwhile, proposed, in exchange, before withdrawing such a proposal), Nor in Any Other Country of Latin America, (the Region of the World which had Now the Right to do so), so that it's a Minority "Socialist" Government in Spain which finaly Accepted to Host that Global Event, with a Last-Minute Proposal, made only 1 Month ago, on the 31st October 2019...

- Thus, already in a Brief, but Topical Resolution aiming to Symbolically "Declare a Climate and Environment Emergency", EU Parliament's Majority adopted 2 Amendments, stressing that any relevant "Action" must "be Science-Based", and "Support the Competitiveness of our Economy", as well as "Job Creation", while Also Stressing more Affirmatively that  it "Will, Always, be adopted through a Democratic process".

+ But it's in the Long Joint Resolution, addressed to the "2019 UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid", that EU Parliament adopted the Most Last-Minute Modifications, as it had been Urged to do, inter alia, even by the President of the Biggest Group of MEPs, that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, Manfred Weber from Germany, in his Press Conference, Last Tuesday in Strasbourg, where he had clearly Warned that, "If the Concerns of our Citizens are Not taken into Account", then, his Center-Right Group would be Obliged to Vote Against an inflexible and unpopular Resolution, otherwise.

- Indeed, inter alia, already from the outset, such Last-Minute Modifications, Adopted Today by EU Parliament's Majority, Denounce a North-South ImBalance, by "Acknowledging that the Burden of Climate Change" is "overwhelmingly on the Countries of the Global South", which "are More Vulnerable", are "Already experiencing Losses and Damages", while "also having Less Capacities to Adapt", even if they "have Contributed to the Climate Crisis considerably Less than the Global North", (as 420 MEPs Voted, against Only 231).

+ Moreover, in order to Reach Paris' Agreement's "2030 ...Targets" on "ReNewable Energies, and Energy Efficiency", several "Concrete Measures ..., are Needed", and this goes Both "at National and EU Level", MEPs Warned.

- Among them, in particular, EU Parliament "Welcomes" EIB's recent "Decision to ...gradually Increase the share of its Financing dedicated to Climate Action and Environmental Sustainability, to Reach 50% of its Operations as of 2025", (while, at the same time, it will "End Financing for Most Fossil Fuel Energy Projects, From the End of 2031"). This can be "a 1st Ambitious Step towards the Transformation of the EIB into a <<European Climate Bank>>", MEPs observe positively.

=> So, Advancing further in this Direction, EU Parliament "Calls on the EIB to... Align All its Financial Activities with the Paris Agreement, as well as to urgently align all its sector Lending policies and guidelines to the Objectives" of that.  

- But, MEPs Narrowly Missed a Majority (with 312 Votes For, and 22 Abstentions, against Just 331 Opposed) on a tabled Amendment which "Noted that the Financial Needs of Member States and Sectors particularly Affected by the Costs of Energy Transition", (especially "Coal-Mining Regions and Energy-Intensive Sectors"), "will be SIgnificantly Stressed", and, "therefore", Underlined that "future EU Budgets must Allocate sufficient Funds to Meet (those) those Needs", and "ensure Nobody is Left Behind".

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+ On the Contrary, a clear Majority in EU Parliament Rejected a Controversial Claim against "Nuclear Energy" (as allegedly being "Neither Safe, Nor Environmentally or Economically sustainable" : sic !), Prefering, on the Contrary, to stress that "Nuclear Energy Can play a Role in Meeting Climate Objectives, because it does Not emit Greenhouse Gases, and can Also Ensure a Significant share of Electricity Production in Europe".    

- "Nevertheless, ... because of the Waste...,, this Energy requires a Medium-Long Term Strategy" with "Technological Advances (Laser, Fusion, etc), aimed at Improving the Sustainability", MEPs also warned for Later-on.

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- However, MEPs also Refused a "Carbon Tax" on "EU Imports", (probably in order to avoid Trade War), as such, (See Infra).

- Instead, EU Parliament stressed that "De-Carbonisation of the EU Economy, should Not Lead to a ReLocation of Carbon Emmissions to 3rd Countries", "But ...to ...Investment, ...Instruments, and ...Breakthrough Innovations and Technology".

+ And, while "Believing in ...Market-based approaches", MEPs did Not Exclude a priori any "Carbon Border Adjustment Measures" (Comp. Supra), on the Condition that they are "Based on a Feasibility Study", and are also "WTO-Compliant".

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- Particularly on "Cars and Lorries", MEPs "Noted" that New EU Commission's Head, Ursula von der Leyen, had said that the Emission Trading System would be "Extended to Sectors not yet covered by the EU System", But "Rejected a Direct Inclusion" into it. However, they did Not yet go as far as to explicitly Refuse Any CO2 Pricing System to replace the Existing Standards.

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- On "the Aviation Sector" EU Parliament "expressed its deep Concern" for "a Resolution adopted by the ICAO Assembly" recently, and "Urged" to "Preserve the EU's Legislative Autonomy", on "Measures to Reduce GHG Emmissions" there.

- Contrary to what was said for Cars and Lorries (Comp. Supra), on "Aviation Pricing", a "Green" Amendment "welcomed" what they found to be a "Growing Support for an EU-Wide Coordinated approach", and "Called on the (EU) Commission to present .... an Ambitious Review of Energy Taxation", "including an End to Tax Exemptions ...to Kerosene and Maritime Fuels".

+     , on the Latter, a "Green" MEPs' Amendment called to "designate the Mediterranean Sea" as an "Emmission Control Area" : a "Step towards Reducing Shipping Emmissions in Europe", as they said, (See also Infra).

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>>> Much More Representative of Nowadays' New Trend, anOther, ChristianDemocrat/EPP, Amendment, also Adopted by EU Parliament, "Calls" to "Increase" the "Funding of Research and Market Deployment  of Alternative Fuels".

 However, the Absolute Principle that "Incentives .... should Always enjoy Primacy over Fuel Taxation", doesN't seem ready to be accepted yet by a majoeity of MEPs nowadays...                                 -----------------------------------------------------

+ Meanwhile, even for elements such as "Methane", which reportedly is "28 Times More Powerful than CO2", and has "a 100-Year Global Warming Potential", nevertheless, "Legislative Proposals" to "Rapidly Reduce Methane Emissions", must be "Appropriate", added a Last-Minute Amendment, Table by the Center Right "EPP", obviously alleviating things and inviting to be more Careful and well Balanced :

- Indeed, that Same Substance is Also Used by so Important Activities in our Society, as, f.ex, "Agriculture", "Pipeline Transport of Fossil Fuels", etc...

+ Moreover, concerning "Agriculture", in general, anOther Last-Minute Amendment, adopted Today, considerably Beefed-up an Interesting New Approach to "Acknowledge the Positive and Significant Role the Agricultural Sector can Play in Fighting Climate Change" :

=> Indeed, it "Underlined the Importance of Reforming the CAP to Help Farmers Develop and Implement Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices, such as Carbon Sequestration, and the ReCycling of Carbon Emmissions", etc.

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++ In Parallel, EU Parliament's Majority Refused several, Obviously DisProportionate or Excessive Demands or Restrictions, under Pretext of the Fight against Climate Change, as, f.ex., that which consisted into Requiring, for "Any Trade Agreement" concluded by the EU, to "Ensure" (sic !) "that it contains Binding Provisions regarding Compliance with the ...1,5° C Goal of the Paris Agreement" (sic !), as a band of Leftist MEPs had speculated...

Sometimes, certain Excessive Demands, formulated under Climate Change Pretexts, appear so Irrational and/or DisProportionate, that People are led to Raise Questions about What might be Really Hidden Behind them : Such suspicions of eventual Hidden Agendas, appear, f.ex., in the cases of Sudden Accusations against Only "Mediterranean Sea" Ship Transports, (while EU is surrounded by Many Seas, from the Black Sea up to the Northern Sea, etc), added to Criticism even of EIB's Low/No Carbon Gases' Infrastructure Projects, and/or to Claims that all Pipelines, even if they are Not Transporting Oil, would be Dangerous for the Climat, etc.. To the point that All this may Seem to, perhaps, Slyly Target Climate-Friendly, No C02-producing, Gas Energy Transports, Directly to EU's Mainland, from the Recent Findings at South-Eastern Mediterranean, around EU Member Cyprus, Israel, Egypt, etc, that some pro-Turkish, Anti-european Lobbies notoriously Attempt to Block, at Any Hollow Pretext... (For the Moment, EU Parliament Rejected at least 1 among those 3 Points : that on EIB's Low/No CO2 Gases' Infrastructure Projects).                                                                                                                                                                 

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>>> Last, but Not Least, at all : Finally, at the very End of that Long Liste of various Amendments, Revealing an Interesting Change at the overall Spirit, Ambiance and Attitude, with which Leaders, Experts and People address the Climate Change Issue, *

arrives an Amendment Number "39", tabled by 3 Conservative MEPs from Poland, which Simply, but very Interestingly, Points, also Nowadays, on 2019, at the "SILESIA DECLARATION ON SOLIDARITY AND JUST TRANSITION", (accompagnied also by Concrete Texts on "Forests", "Electro-Mobility", etc) :  

- Signed by Heads of State/Government, back on 2018, at the Conclusion of the previous COP 24 at Katowice, Poland, which Speaks by itself...

=> Here is a FULL TEXT Copy, of what could well become, Hopefully, a Key Part of a much needed, and possible, "New Spirit", for a really Inclusive and Just, therefore Popular, "New Green Deal" :

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[NDLR : The Overall Spirit of the Above-Mentioned EU Parliament's Amendments on the Resolution for the 2019 Climate Change Summit in Madrid, Debated and Adopted this Week in Strasbourg, including that Reminder of the Landmark "Silesia Declaration on Solidarity and Just Transition", by Heads of State/Government, last Year on 2018 at Katowice, in Poland,

=> apparently Point also at a (Small, but perhaps Real) Possibility to Eventually "ReNegociate" in Future the "Paris Agreement" even with US President Don Trump, in a way that it might, may be, Result into that "more Level Playing Field" that USA Environment Agency's CEO Wheeler evoked in Conclusion of his Discussions at the "G7" Environment Ministers' Summit, at nearby Metz, on May 2019, Together with the Chairing f. French Minister and Parliamentary Assembly vice-President, de Silguy, (Comp, separate Statements of Both to "Eurofora", at Metz, then ...+..., .... etc).

But, a subsequent, sudden Slandering and Personal Attacks against de Silguy by a US-linked Leftist French Web Media Founder, who Pushed him to Resign, (even if all that was found, later, to be Fake News and mere Slandering), at the Eve of Biarritz' G7 Summit Last Summer, apparently Destroyed any Chance to eventually Advance in the above-mentioned Direction, since it obviously requires also a Wheeler/De Silguy, Metz-like Ambiance and Trust, Difficult to Find anew, otherwise...

(../..)

("Draft-News")

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