Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

I would like to ask about the question on the order paper on the negotiations that are following the Copenhagen summit. Is the Government opening a dialogue with the developing bloc of countries that went to the summit with specific demands on the additionality of resources over and above that which is committed to development?

Very little meaningful progress was made on technology transfer. It is not good enough to say that the European Council will discuss some of the broader issues, as individual member states of the EU are in negotiation with particular parts of the developing and the undeveloped blocs.

Is it still the position of the Government and the European Council to stay in pursuit of a legally binding agreement? Will that agreement have mechanisms of implementation that will be the project of the UN? Alternatively, is there a slide towards a set of bilateral accommodations between blocs and countries that will fall well short of a legally bind agreement? This would mean that the Mexico conference in December would be as big a failure as the Copenhagen summit.

I accept the view that a strong positive position by the EU will be of great value at the conference in Mexico. What precise dialogue is being opened with some of the major players who were obstructionist in the Copenhagen process? China has described itself as part of the developing bloc, and this differs from the undeveloped bloc. The undeveloped bloc will go to the Mexico conference claiming that they are paying the highest price in terms of loss of life and environmental costs, yet they are getting the least. They want a clear answer on additionality and technology transfer.

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