Activities of Marco AFFRONTE related to 2017/2272(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on climate diplomacy PDF (432 KB) DOC (77 KB)
Amendments (31)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)
Citation 6 a (new)
– having regard to the 5th Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and to its Synthesis Report,
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the effects of climate change are having increasingly severe impacts on different aspects of human life as well as on the global order and geopolitical stability; whereas climate diplomacy can be understood as a form of targeted foreign policy to promote climate action through reaching out to other actors, cooperating on specific climate-related issues, building strategic partnerships and strengthening relations with state and non- state actors, thereby contributing to mitigating the effects of climate changeenhanced climate action and strengthening Union’s diplomatic relationships;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas climate change is a factor of crucial importance in some of the conflicts in the world and its consequences often turn out to be an element of crisis as regards international relations; whereas EU climate diplomacy could play a fundamental role and therefore needs to be fully integrated in the EU conflict-prevention policies;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas, as a contribution to the achievement of a net-zero carbon economy, the Commission has set the promotion of energy efficiency and making the EU the world leader in renewables as objectives for Union energy policy;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas association, partnership, cooperation and trade agreements signed by the EU with third countries or regional blocs have an impact on climate change that can undermine EU climate diplomacy; whereas the EU must make all efforts in order to align such agreements with the Paris agreement;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas, in order to achieve its objectives, the fight against climate change should become a strategic priority in all diplomatic dialogues and initiatives; whereas Parliament has been actively contributing to the process and has been using both its legislative power and its political influence to further integrate climate change into development action and the aid portfolio, as well as into several other EU policies, such as investments, agriculture, fisheries, energy, research and trade;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that the effects of climate change have a tangible impact on severall aspects of human life, on peace and security, and that these effects are increasingly being felt in the lives ofalready experienced by EU citizens, as well as challenging the international community; underlines the increasing urgency of climate action and that addressing climate change requires a joint effort at international level, as it constitutes a collective responsibility towards the entire planet, for the current and future generations;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Recognises that climate change is a catalyst for conflicts and that in an interconnected world Europe’s security rests on stability and wellbeing of our neighbours and the rest of the planet; considers that full implementation of Paris Agreement commitments would greatly contribute to enhancing international security and peace;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Reaffirms the EU’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and to the UN Agenda 2030, including the SDGs, and stresses the need to implement the Paris Agreement and the SDGs both in the EU and globally to develop a more sustainable economy and society; reaffirms the need for an ambitious EU climate policy and its readiness to improve the existing EU National Determined Contribution (NDC) for 2030 as well the necessity of developing by first quarter of 2019 a long- term strategy forto achieve a net-zero carbon economy at the latest by 2050, in a timely mannerline with a Union fair share of the global carbon budget consistent with the commitment in the Paris Agreement to holding the global average temperature to well below 2 °C and pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Recalls President Juncker’s commitment in 2014 to make Union “the world number one in renewable energies”; deplores that three years later the Commission has not come forward with an explicit strategy to ensure that EU is able to compete with Asia and parts of US on equal terms to keep this promise;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Believes that mitigating climate change and moving towards a low- emissinet-zero carbon economy will contribute to enhanced peace and security both within and outside of the EU as climate change often exacerbates existing instabilities and conflicts, even leading to increased migration flows due to the scarcity of resources and lack of economic opportunities as well as a deterioration in living conditions;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Welcomes the Talanoa Dialogue process to take stock of the collective efforts in relation to progress towards the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement and to inform the preparation of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) launched at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP 23, November 2017; considers that the process should centre on how to bridge the emissions gap;
Amendment 97 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses, in this regard, the importance of mainstreaming climate diplomacy in the EU conflict prevention policies broadening and adapting the scope of EU missions and programmes in third countries and conflict areas;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Welcomes the inclusiveness of the UNFCCC’s process; considers that ensuring effective participation requires that the issue of vested or conflicting interests be addressed; supports the initiative by governments representing the majority of the world’s population to introduce a specific conflicts of interest policy and calls on the Commission to engage constructively in this process;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Underlines the importance of the EU speaking with a single and unified voice in all international forums and calls on the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Commission to coordinate a joint EU effort to ensure its commitment to the implementation of the Paris Agreement; insists on the need to develop a comprehensive strategy for EU climate diplomacy to be presented to the Parliament by 1 January 2019 and to integrate climate into all fields of EU external action, including trade, development cooperation, humanitarian aid and security and defence;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Regrets that the energy-security policy of the EU is based mainly on the diversification of hydrocarbons supplies and that public and private energy companies deeply influence in this respect the EU common foreign policy ; calls on the Council and the Commission to redefine the concept of “energy security” taking into account of climate-related aspects; takes the view that a genuine and effective climate diplomacy should go hand in hand with a gradual decarbonisation of the EU common foreign policy;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for an allocation of human and financial resources in the EEAS and the Commission, which better reflects the strong commitment to and increased engagement in climate diplomacy; urges the EEAS to include climate diplomacy on EU delegations’ agendas when meeting their counterparts from third countries and international or regional organisations and to orchestrate and assign strategic importance to climate diplomacy efforts in every EU delegation with the representations of the Member States in third countries; calls, therefore, for the inclusion of a focal point on climate change in the main EU delegations in third countries and of a higher percentage of climate experts when creating mixed posts in the EU delegations;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission to develop programmes to raise European citizens awareness on the connection between climate change and migration, poverty and conflicts regarding access to resources;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Stresses that climate-related spending in the EU budget can create high added value and should be significantly increased; recalls that the Parliament has called for increasing the current earmarking from 20 to 30% and ensuring that the remaining resources are not counterproductive to climate efforts;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines that the EU must be an active player in international organisations and forums (such as the UN, UNFCCC, the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HPFL), NATO, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the G7 and G20) and closely cooperate with regional organisations (such as the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and, MERCOSUR and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)) to foster global partnerships and ensure the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the SDGs, while defending, strengthening, and further developing multilateral cooperation regimes; notes that climate can be an entry point for diplomatic relations with partners with whom other agenda items are highly contested, thereby offering an opportunity to enhance stability and peace;
Amendment 176 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls on the Commission to integrate the climate change dimension into international trade and investment agreements and to streamline financial instruments and programmes to ensure coherence and increase the effectiveness of EU climate action; recommends the development and systematic inclusion of a fundamental climate change clause in international agreements with partners who have signedregarding mutual commitment to implementation of the Paris Agreement, supporting thereby the European and international decarbonisation process;
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls, in this regard, on the Commission to make a comprehensive assessment of the consistency of the existing agreements with the Paris agreement and where necessary to make every effort to review and adjust them bringing them in line with the EU targets on climate change;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Supports sustained and active EU engagement within the High Ambition Coalition (HAC) and with its member countries to give visibility to their determination to achieve meaningful implementation of the Paris Agreement, through the conclusion of itsa robust rule book in 2018 and a successful Talanoa Dialogue at COP24 that is aimed at motivating further States to join in with these efforts aconcluded by a COP decision reconfirming the commitment to increase the ambition of countries’ 2030 NDCs by 2020, and aligning them with the long term goals of the Paris Agreement; recommends tohe establish a group of climate leaders in the next few years; ment of complementary high ambition alliances to jointly lead on mainstreaming climate across different foreign policy issues including trade, the reform of international financial institutions and security;
Amendment 192 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Highlights the responsibiliduty incumbent on the EU and other developed countries due to their historical responsibility to show greater solidarity towards the vulnerable states and developing countries most affected by the impact of climate change and to ensure continuous support to help them recover from damage related to climate change, to improve adaptation measures and resilience through financial support and by means of capacity building; calls on the Member States to support the efforts of developing countries to decrease dependence on fossil fuels and to become low-carbon societies, especially by cooperating within NDC partnership, particularly through NDC partnerships; calls on the Member States to develop economic cooperation opportunities that unlock zero-carbon development pathways, offer alternatives to fossil fuel infrastructure and de-risk investment through strategies like the recent investment plan for Africa; stresses the importance that humanitarian agencies devise a long term perspective of their action based on a well-founded knowledge of the climate impacts in vulnerable areas;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Urges the EU Commission to develop a comprehensive strategy to promote EU excellence in green technologies including through global initiatives such as covenant of mayors, and trade policy, and combining efforts with existing instruments inter alia for neighbourhood policy, development and external investment programs;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Recommends that the EU deepen its strategic cooperation with emerging economies which have a major impact on global warming, but which are also decisive in terms of global climate action; calls on the EU to create dedicated panels to debate climate and sustainability policies during high-level ministerial meetings; calls on the EU to build up partnerships for carbon markets beyond Europe; economic and technology dialogues on transition and resilience solutions , including during high-level ministerial meetings; calls on the EU to build up partnerships in areas of common interest including carbon markets, energy transition, 2050 pathways, sustainable finance reform, and clean transport including maritime and aviation sectors;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Urges the EEAS, the Commission and the Member States to engage infocus their strategic dialogues on decarbonised energy cooperation and zero-carbon economic development models with fossil fuel exporting countries in the EU’s wider neighbourhoodenergy with fossil fuel exporting countries in the EU’s wider neighbourhood on decarbonised energy cooperation and zero carbon economic development models in order to enhance peace as well as human security and well- being in Europe and globally;
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls on the EEAS, the Commission and the Member States to make their international policy dialogues and cooperation with partner countries fully consistent with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and with the EU’s ambition to be world leader in renewables;
Amendment 230 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 b (new)
Paragraph 16 b (new)
16b. Expects and demands that the EEAS, the Commission and the Member States refrain from any cooperation with partner countries involving fossil fuel subsidies or investments;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the EU to further intensify its relations with indigenous peoples and local and regional authorities in third countries to enhance thematic cooperation between cities and regions both within and outside of the EU; notes the role EU delegations in third countries can play in this regard;
Amendment 253 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the EU and its Member States to strengthen their ties with civil society and to form alliances and build up synergies with the scientific community, non-governmental organisations, non- traditional actors, local authorities, and the private sector, to develop export strategies for climate technologies and system integration and to encourage technology transfer to and capacity-building in third countries;