The Council held an exchange of views on climate change and the follow-up to the UN conference in Copenhagen (7-19 December 2009).
The discussion focused on the integration of climate change considerations in all EU policies, as well as the need to improve the efficiency of the Union's relations with its partners. The Council will revert to the issue at its meeting on 22 March. In the run-up to the European Council's meeting on 25 and 26 March, several Council configurations, coordinated by the General Affairs Council, are set to contribute to a reflection on the follow-up to the Copenhagen conference.
The political declaration issued in Copenhagen falls well short of the EU's objective of securing a legally binding agreement that ensures that the average global temperature increase remains below 2° C above pre-industrial levels. The EU however considers it a first step towards a more ambitious agreement and remains fully committed to continuing negotiations in order to conclude a legally binding agreement for the period after 2012 as soon as possible.
Further UN negotiations are scheduled to take place in Bonn from 31 May to 11 June, with a view to the 16th conference of the parties to the UN framework convention on climate change to be held in Cancún, Mexico, from 29 November to 10 December.