Plastic Treaty
The EU “ready” to compromise, but “not at any cost”
Two days before the end of negotiations in Geneva, tensions rise between ambitious countries and oil producers. The European Union would even have threatened to leave the discussion table.
“If we are all on our red lines, an agreement is impossible,” said Danish Minister of the Environment, Magnus Heunicke.
AFP
The European environment commissioner, Jessika Roswall, called on Tuesday to bring out very difficult negotiations for a treatise on plastic pollution, supposed to end Thursday after Ten days of negotiations in Geneva.
“The European Union is ready for an agreement but not at any cost. It is time to really conclude this vital agreement, “she said during an improvised press point with the Danish Minister of the Environment, Magnus Heunicke.
“If there was a little theater yesterday, there will be many more in the coming days,” warned the Danish minister whose country provides the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU), seeming to confirm rumors that the European negotiator threatened Monday evening to leave the negotiating table of a working group in Geneva.
“Extremely difficult” negotiations
These negotiations are “extremely difficult,” said Magnus Heunicke, “but the EU is here to achieve an agreement” which is “as ambitious as possible”.
The EU is part of a coalition of so -called “ambitious” countries wishing to achieve a treaty against plastic pollution providing for a reduction in virgin plastic production in the world as well as a list of dangerous chemical additives, two measures to which an essentially oil coalition is opposed, as well as representatives of the petrochemical industry, observers of debates.
“Our goal is to achieve a legally binding treaty that will protect future generations of plastic pollution,” added Magnus Heunicke.
“Compromise” and “negotiations”
“All countries and also the European Union, we must examine our red lines and see how they could evolve-not radically, but see what could be changed in our red lines,” he added.
“If we are all on our red lines, an agreement is impossible,” he said, calling for “compromises” and “negotiations”.
Other environmental ministers are expected in Geneva to participate in the last days of negotiations, in particular those of Brazil, France, Indonesia, South Africa and Mexico.
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