WRITTEN QUESTION No. 4058/97 by Mirja RYYNÄNEN to the Commission. Ways of using the EU's trade policy to combat environmental pollution
Date: 1998-01-14
Institutions: European Parliament, RYYNAENEN
Subjects: EU policy, climate change, developing countries, environmental policy, environmental protection, greenhouse gas, industrialised country, pollution control measures, sustainable development, trade policy

17. 7. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 223/47

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-4055/97 and E-0262/98

(11 May 1998)

The situation regarding democracy and human rights in Turkey continues to be of concern to the Council. The
European Council meeting in Luxembourg on 12 and 13 December 1997 again underlined the necessity for the
Turkish Government to meet its fundamental obligations in the field of democracy and human rights. It recalled,
in  line  with  the  Council  position  expressed  at  the  Association  Council  with  Turkey  on  29  April  1997,  that
strengthening Turkey(cid:146)s links with the EU also depended on that country(cid:146)s pursuit of political reforms including
the alignment of human rights standards and practices on those in the European Union.

The situation regarding democracy and human rights in Turkey remains high on the Council(cid:146)s agenda. These
issues are brought up in virtually all meetings with the Turkish authorities.

(98/C 223/56)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4058/97

by Mirja Ryyna¤nen (ELDR) to the Commission

(14 January 1998)

Subject: Ways of using the EU(cid:146)s trade policy to combat environmental pollution

Levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are rising alarmingly, and, over a period of decades, could cause
changes, for example, in the direction of marine currents. Such currents in turn have a substantial influence on
regional climate.

At Kyoto, an effort is being made to introduce worldwide limits on carbon dioxide emissions by means of a
voluntary agreement. However, the Rio Agreement shows that voluntary agreements have not been particularly
effective.

Has the Commission considered more effective methods of limiting emissions of carbon dioxide and other
1.
greenhouse gases, for example trade policy incentives for countries whose carbon dioxide emissions are of an
acceptable level?

How  is  the  EU  taking  efforts  to  curb  greenhouse  gas  emissions  into  account  in  the  preparations  for

2.
enlargement to the East?

Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission

(25 February 1998)

The Commission shares the view that levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere are increasing too rapidly
and will have a considerable impact on the planet(cid:146)s climate. This explains why the Community has taken such an
active role in the development of a climate change policy within the Community and on the international stage.

The voluntary commitment made at the Rio conference by industrialised countries to return their CO2 emissions
to 1990 levels by 2000 has not been as effective as was expected, since a number of industrialised countries are
unwilling to apply the necessary policies and take the measures to curb emissions. Fortunately, even though it is
not  yet  possible  to  predict  with  certainty  the  result  for  the  Community,  on  present  trends  it  will  be  near  to
achieving its objective of stabilisation.

Growing realisation that existing commitments were inadequate led to the Berlin mandate in which the parties
agreed to negotiate an agreement giving industrialised countries legally binding emission reduction objectives.
The result of this negotiation is the Kyoto Protocol which is a watershed because, for the first time, it embodies a
legal commitment by industrialised countries to reduce their total emissions of greenhouse gases by around 5%
by 2008-2012 compared to 1990. The Community has an emission reduction objective of 8% for this period.