15 March 2010: During a meeting on 15 March 2010, in Brussels, Belgium, the Council of the Environment Ministers of the EU adopted conclusions on climate change regarding the “Follow-up to the Copenhagen Conference.”
According to the conclusions, EU Ministers express their determination to make rapid progress to develop guidelines, rules or modalities for REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, including conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks) actions, as foreseen in the Copenhagen Accord. They welcome initiatives to facilitate decision making on REDD+ at the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in Cancun, Mexico, including agreeing on: targets to reduce gross tropical deforestation by at least 50% by 2020 compared to current levels; the halt of global forest cover loss by 2030 at the latest; and the necessary finance beyond the fast-start period in line with overall commitments contained in the Copenhagen Accord.
In the conclusions, Ministers also stress the importance of accelerating the development, deployment and diffusion of environmentally-safe and sustainable low-carbon technologies, and call for the allocation in 2010 of resources as part of fast-start finance to actions related to such technologies, including possible pilot actions both on adaptation and mitigation. Ministers also undertake to work with all parties to develop the necessary guidelines on measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) with a view to their adoption by the Cancun Climate Conference, drawing on the existing provisions under the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and subsequent decisions.
In addition, Ministers reaffirm the EU’s and its Member States’ commitment to contribute EUR 2.4 billion annually over the period 2010-2012. They further underline that the EU and its Member States are ready to present a preliminary state of play on these commitments at the UNFCCC session in Bonn, Germany, to be held from 31 May-11 June 2010, and submit EU-coordinated reports on the implementation of this commitment at the Cancun Climate Conference and thereafter on an annual basis. They also encourage other contributors to do so as well. [Environment Council Conclusions]