MEPs seek climate allies worldwide

The European Parliament’s committee on climate change is aiming to build a global coalition of national parliaments to ensure the success of the Kyoto protocol and its follow-up agreement.

The 60-member temporary committee held its first meeting on 22 May and agreed two main objectives. These are aiding EU negotiators to "construct a global coalition of parliaments" including the US Congress, Brazil, South Africa, China and India. The second aim is to promote European mobilisation against climate change, backed by joint actions by national parliaments and local government to "create informed public opinion" which can put pressure on governments and international organisations.

The committee is expected to make recommendations for further actions and initiatives to be taken to deal with climate change but will not have any legislative powers. Specific legislative proposals will be dealt with by the relevant committees.

Both committee chairman Italian Socialist Guido Sacconi and German centre-right MEP Karl-Heinz Florenz, who will draft the committee’s reports, said last week that the committee would take a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on the need for all areas of policy to be brought together to deal with the problem of climate change.

Last week the members of the committee appointed three vice-chairs: Robert Mussachio (European United Left, Italy); Alessandro Foglietta (Union for Europe of Nations, Italy) and German Green Rebecca Harms. A vice-chairman from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe will be appointed later.

The European Parliament’s committee on climate change is aiming to build a global coalition of national parliaments to ensure the success of the Kyoto protocol and its follow-up agreement.