Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We will have a paper from the Commission on Rio+20 in March with a view to the Irish Presidency's bringing about Council conclusions in June. We will be fully engaged with the other member states to achieve that outcome. On Doha, the expectation before the conference was that it would be more of a holding operation with little progress arising from the discussions in Durban. Durban set out a strategy for the following three years. The danger was that Doha would not advance matters, but we have succeeded arising from that conference in putting a work programme in place across the streams agreed there. We have set a target of 2015 for a globally binding legal agreement. There is an indication that there will be a Heads of Government meeting in 2014 to give the talks the required impetus. These developments have been important to maintain the momentum towards a global agreement.

Interestingly, we had some six EU co-ordination meetings during the course of the week and were able to establish a unified position on some very difficult issues, particularly on AEUs and surplus carbon tax credits. Poland and certain other former eastern bloc member states had a great difficulty on surrendering or cancelling to balance the market and reduce emissions. Many member states which are progressive on climate change policy wanted to see the cancellation of AEUs post-2020, but for five years it was not possible to get agreement from Poland. Agreement was achieved in the EU meetings which were held in Doha. There is now a unified EU position which gives us a great deal more credibility on climate change policy. The EU contributes only 11% of emissions. There are countries which classify themselves as "developing", including China and Brazil, which are major contributors to emissions and which are not making the contribution we would expect at this stage. The European Union, with Australia, Norway and Switzerland, are the leaders who are advancing a programme on climate change and the reduction of emissions. We are trying, albeit it is happening far too slowly, to get the USA, Russia, China and other large states on board to make the emissions reductions required to make a significant impact on quality of life and the development agenda and to mitigate the problems associated with climate change. We are seeking also to bring forward adaptation policies and that will cost money.

We agreed also at Doha on a fund. The fast-start finance scheme agreed in Copenhagen set out €7.2 billion which would be provided by the European Union to meet the needs of the least-developed and poorest countries and to assist them to adapt to climate change. A board of directors is to be established to distribute the money. We have met our commitments solemnly and have credibility with the small island states and least developed countries. We have achieved in 2012 what we said we would in Copenhagen in 2009, notwithstanding the financial difficulties many European countries have been experiencing.

I assure the joint committee that we will continue to be energetic in pursuing the domestic agenda on waste, water and local government reform. We have a very ambitious agenda of reform in the Department and we have the resources and staff to meet our commitments, in particular on local government in advance of the local elections in 2014.