European Union Leaders Reaffirm Strong Commitment To Paris Climate Agreement

All heads of the European Union, from EU Member States through to the EU Presidents of the Council and Commission, last week reaffirmed their strong commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, and their desire to “swiftly and fully” implement the goals therein.

At a European Council meeting held on the 22nd and 23rd of June, European Union leaders vowed to continue leading the fight against climate change and reaffirming the importance of the Paris Climate Agreement as the “cornerstone” of the fight. The EU leaders also made it clear that the Paris Climate Agreement cannot be renegotiated — a not-so-subtle shot across the bow of the United States Trump Administration, which, during the President’s speech announcing that he would withdraw the country from the Agreement, promised that he would try to renegotiate the deal so it was “fairer” to the United States, showing once again that Donald Trump hasn’t a clue how international policy and treaties actually work.

The European Union made several strong commitments to back up their affirmation of the Paris Climate Agreement, including reaffirming their commitment to fulfilling international climate finance goals, and stepping up cooperation with international partners — most notably, those countries which are deemed most vulnerable to climate change. The European Union also committed to continuing work with non-state actors.

“The European Council strongly reaffirms the commitment of the EU and its Member States to swiftly and fully implement the Paris Agreement, to contribute to the fulfilment of the climate finance goals, and to continue to lead in the fight against climate change. The Agreement remains a cornerstone of global efforts to effectively tackle climate change, and cannot be renegotiated.”

Following the United States’ woeful and ignorant decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Agreement, countless organizations, non-state actors, and countries from around the world have condemned the move, while simultaneously committing to the tenants of the Agreement. While the move unsurprisingly drew harsh criticism from many countries around the world, what was surprising — or, if not surprising, at least heartening — was the widespread condemnation of President Trump’s decision from within his own country (which we covered extensively here and here).

Backing up on their own condemnation, California Governor Jerry Brown found himself in China, ready to make planned commitments with the Chinese government and various states to further cooperation and their commitment to fighting climate change. Upon his return home, Governor Brown then followed that up with signing a commitment to fight climate change in cooperation with Germany.