19 July 2015: At its 22nd meeting, the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) focused on issues related to the global climate change agreement that is expected to be adopted at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the UNFCCC. The participating economies, mostly represented at the ministerial level, discussed their views on the legal form and contents of the agreement. Despite diverse positions on these aspects, the co-chairs called the meeting “productive” and “very constructive.”

In anticipation of COP 21, which will take place on 30 November – 11 December 2015, in Paris, France, ministers discussed which elements of the agreement should be legally binding with a view to creating a common approach to challenges and achieve convergence. Four sessions were held over the two-day meeting: one on adaptation; two on mitigation; and one on transparency. Issues related to financial support were discussed over a working dinner.

The meeting was co-chaired by Luxembourg’s Minister for the Environment and EU Environment Council Chair Carole Dieschbourg, US National Security Advisor for International Economics and Group of Eight/Group of 20 (G-8/G-20) Sherpa Caroline Atkinson, and US Department of State Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern.

At a press conference following the meeting, Dieschbourg noted that good proposals had been put forward and urged an acceleration of negotiations. She reiterated that the EU is in favor of a “dynamic, transparent and resilient” legally binding framework agreement that addresses greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accountability, reporting and transparency.

Stern said progress had been made on areas of disagreement and explained that the US supports making transparency and reporting elements of the agreement legally binding, and opposes legally binding emissions reduction targets. He added that the architecture of the agreement should allow for regular updates and individual and collective review.

The MEF met on 18-19 July 2015, in Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg. The 17 major economies participating in the MEF are: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the EU, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, the Russian Federation, South Africa, the UK and the US. [Government of Luxembourg Press Release] [MEF Meeting Announcement] [MEF Website]