English

Belarus, EU could cooperate fruitfully in combating climate change

Belarus and the European Union could embark on fruitful cooperation in combating climate change, Jean-Eric Holzapfel, charge d`affaires of the European Commission delegation in the country, said at a workshop held in Minsk on Wednesday, as quoted by BelaPAN.

Mr. Holzapfel said that Belarusian and EU experts had held successful talks about cooperation in environmental protection, hailing also Belarus` progress under the EU`s Support to Kyoto Protocol Implementation project aimed at assisting the partner countries in combating climate change, both by extending the use of the mechanisms attached to the Kyoto Protocol and by supporting the formulation of appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies in each country.

The EU is set to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 percent and increase the share of renewable energy in its total energy consumption to 20 percent by 2020 compared with the 1990 levels, the diplomat said.

Climate change is a problem of vital importance for the EU that aims to create favorable climatic conditions in Europe, Mr. Holzapfel said.

The EU is pushing for the conclusion of an efficient political agreement to address climate change, he said, noting that the bloc is ready to discuss all key issues that were on the agenda of the UN Copenhagen climate change conference in 2009, including actions to prevent deforestation and the degradation of forests in developing countries.

He said that the EU would provide around EUR5 million for Belarus` new environmental protection program that envisages measures to enhance the legal framework governing environmental protection and engage non-governmental organizations and citizens in environmental activities.

Alyaksandr Hrabyankow, Belarus’ national expert on the Kyoto Protocol who represented the country at last year`s Copenhagen climate talks, said that Belarus has a less significant potential than the EU to cut greenhouse gas emissions. “Besides, our development stages are different,” he said.