European business, local authorities, civil society and trade unions want EU leaders to live up to their Paris commitments

2 March 2016 – Today a major new coalition of businesses, cities, trade unions and NGO, are calling on EU leaders to act on the Paris Agreement and ensure that EU climate policies are coherent with its goals.

Read the statement from the Coalition for Higher Ambition

Today a major new coalition of businesses, cities, trade unions and NGOs, are calling on EU leaders to act on the Paris Agreement and ensure that EU climate policies are coherent with its goals.

The new informal Coalition for Higher Ambition is an unprecedented gathering of stakeholders standing together to influence Heads of State and Ministers ahead of the 4 March Environment Council and the 17–18 March European Council – the largest and most diverse such grouping in Europe, on this topic.

On both occasions, governments are expected to assess the results of the Paris summit and look at its implications for the EU's climate and energy policies. The statement also comes prior to the imminent release of Commission’s working document on implementing the Paris Agreement.  The Coalition believes that there is a real risk that the current level of ambition of legislation on the table is going to damage Europe’s chances of reaching the goals of the Paris Agreement.

The organisations are calling upon Europe to act to transform the Paris outcomes into reality through the development of a robust and ambitious European policy framework, which will allow the EU to become a net zero-carbon economy and create the jobs, growth and competitiveness needed.According to the stakeholders, the goals agreed in Paris require the EU leaders to increase the 2030 and 2050 climate targets.

Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Director of The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group said:

"This coalition representing major stakeholders from across Europe and a cross section of the European economy demonstrates the breadth and depth of the call for climate leadership. Together we believe that Europe must continue to show ambition so as to meet global and national targets of below two degrees, and truly create the necessary framework for further investment in a competitive and resilient low carbon economy”.

Wendel Trio, Director of Climate Action Network Europe said:

"Put simply, Europe’s 2030 legislative agenda risks locking-in lower ambition. We are calling for Europe's targets to be increased in line with the goals agreed in Paris. This means securing a cut of well beyond 40 per cent in Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and getting those emissions to near zero by 2050. The EU needs to ensure we move off the three-degree warming pathway, where the current climate targets put us.”

Montserrat Mir, Confederal Secretary in charge of climate and energy policies from ETUC said:

“After Paris, the EU must increase its ambition through concrete measures that will allow workers to benefit from good quality jobs, sustainable investment, low-carbon innovation and better public health, and ensure a just transition for the workforce."

The coalition argue that to succeed, it is imperative that the EU’s delivery of the Paris Agreement is set in motion in such a way that it will help businesses, cities, trade unions and civil society plan, invest properly and collectively set the EU on the right path. Collectively, the organisations involved have offered to work in partnership with the European Institutions and Member States to make this a reality.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

The Statement from the Coalition for Higher Ambition was sent to EU Heads of State and Government, Climate and Environment Ministers, the European Commission and the European Parliament on 1 March 2016.

The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group (CLG) brings together 23 European business leaders who work under the patronage of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to advocate solutions on climate change to policymakers and business peers within the EU and globally.

CLG members are: 3M, Acciona, Anglian Water Group, BT, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Doosan, DSM, EDF, Ferrovial, GlaxoSmithKline, Heathrow, Iberdrola, Interface, Jaguar Land Rover, Kingfisher, Lloyds Banking Group, Philips, Skanska, Sky, Stora Enso, Tesco, Thames Water, Unilever, United Technologies Corporation.

Communications from the CLG benefit from the input of the entire group but do not necessarily require the formal agreement of all member companies.

The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) provides the secretariat to the CLG. Decisions of the CLG do not represent the policies or positions of CISL or of the wider University of Cambridge

Contact

Cécile Bélivent, Project Manager, , +32 289 49 325

Climate Action Network Europe is Europe's largest coalition working on climate and energy issues. With over 120 member organisations in more than 30 European countries - representing over 44 million citizens - CAN Europe works to prevent dangerous climate change and promote sustainable climate and energy policy in Europe.

Contact

Wendel Trio, CAN Europe Director, , +32473 170887

Ania Drazkiewicz, CAN Europe Communications Coordinator, , +32 494 525 738

The ETUC is the organisation which allows Europe's trade unions to speak with a single voice on behalf of European workers and have a stronger say in EU decision-making.The ETUC was set up in 1973 and now comprises 90 national trade union confederations in 39 countries, plus 10 European trade union federations.

Contact

Julian Scola, Head of Communication, +32 22240411