EP President Tajani: “the Paris agreement is alive and we will take it forward”

“Pacta sunt servanda. The Paris Agreement must be respected. It is a matter of trust and leadership” said European Parliament President Antonio Tajani (EPP, IT). “This Agreement is alive and we will take it forward with or without the US administration” he said.

“Those who choose to remain on the outside will miss a historic opportunity for citizens, the planet and the economy. The EU will continue to lead efforts against climate change and be a global pole of attraction for investment, innovation and technology, creating new jobs and boosting competitiveness” he added.

Environment Committee Chair Adina-Ioana Vălean (EPP, RO) also reacted to the announcement

“We deeply regret this decision, and hope that this is only ‘see you soon’ and not ‘farewell’ from our U.S. friends”, said Ms. Vălean. “To ease the transition to a low-carbon economy is simply to be pragmatic. The global community is committed to the Paris Agreement. Civil society, industry and public awareness have evolved. The United States still shares our planet, and we are entitled to hope that, beyond the decision of just one man – even if he is the President of the United States – America will, in the end, come back on our side in the fight against climate change”, she added.

“In the meantime, we shall continue leading, together with China and the High Ambition Coalition. What is more, given the threat of global warming, this is a fight for multilateralism, for international cooperation, and for peace. And for we Europeans, an existential one”, she concluded.

Facts

The European Parliament is currently working on three legislative measures implementing the Paris Agreement: the post-2020 carbon market (EU ETS) reform (rapporteur Julie Girling), the 2030 targets Effort Sharing Regulation (rapporteur Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy) and the Regulation on greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land-use, land-use change and forestry (rapporteur Norbert Lins).