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The deal on climate change, concluded on December 2015 in the UN Climate Conference in Paris, can justifiably be described as a game-changer or, in U.S. President Barack Obama’s words, humanity’s “best chance to save the planet”.

195 countries – including the U.S. and China which account for 35% of greenhouse emissions – managed, thanks to the competent and determined leadership of the hosting country’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, to set a limit to the increase of global temperature since the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries at 2 degrees Celsius and pursue the effort so as to lower it to 1.5 degrees.

The attainment of this target would require, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), spending about $16.5 trillion on renewables and energy efficiency until 2030. Policies would include incentives for clean energy production, scaling back support for fossil fuels like oil, making emissions more costly and reducing deforestation. Carbon pricing through markets or taxes, planting trees, burning biomass instead of fossil fuels are some among the tools to be used. The accord is not legally binding but relies on rigorous monitoring rules to secure transparency.

The agreement’s paramount aim is to pass the message that fossil fuels carry financial and legal premiums while clean energy is subsidised. It will take effect in 2020 provided that it is ratified by 55 countries accounting for 55% of emissions. A key feature of the deal is that developed nations committed $100 billion in annual aid to the developing nations so as to overcome the inevitable tensions that undermined past efforts to control emissions.

The effective implementation of this accord is fraught with dangers of economic as well as political nature, inherent in any endeavor that involves many players and spans over a long period of time. Here we shall focus on two such factors which have recently reasserted themselves, namely the volatility of the price of oil and growing geopolitical uncertainties.

Recently the world experienced a precipitous fall in oil prices. The slowdown in energy demand, as a result of weaker growth in emerging markets as well as the switch of the Chinese economy to a more diversified and less energy-intensive growth model, largely explain this development suggesting that the market for oil will eventually rebalance via higher demand and lower growth of supply. The supply response is more uncertain than demand – which sooner or later will pick up – as it depends on the policies of OPEC as well as of non-OPEC producers.

According to IEA estimates, more resilient non-OPEC supply and higher Middle East output could hold the oil price close to $50/bbl until the 2020’s. However, an investment slowdown in the oil industry – in response to low prices – will tend to increase the risk of a sharp market rebound destabilising the market.

Crucially, a prolonged period of lower prices would undermine support for the energy transition by stimulating oil use and diminishing the case for efficiency investment and switching to alternative sources. Policymakers will, therefore, have to adjust market rules, policies and subsidies so as to maintain the momentum towards cleaner energy. In order to minimise the additional fiscal cost that this will entail governments should ring-fence policies against potentially large market swings.

If the world stays the course, renewables are set to become the leading source of new energy supply by 2040. In the U.S. and India renewable-based power generation will represent about 25%, in China and Japan 30%, and in the EU 50% (IEA estimates).

Besides sharp swings in the oil price, the other major threat to the transition process concerns energy security. Geopolitical risks are rising, particularly in areas which hold strategic positions in the global energy map. Russia is attempting to restore its former great-power status by taking action in areas traditionally claimed by the Russian and Soviet empires, such as Ukraine, and intervening militarily in Syria. NATO is redeploying forces close to East European frontiers while a serious incident at the Turkish-Syrian borders led to the downfall of a Russian military aircraft and the loss of the life of one pilot.

In the Middle East itself, the process of resolving the Palestinian question is frozen, Syria is in the middle of a horrendous civil war and other Arab countries, like Libya, are in turmoil as a consequence of the destabilising effects of the Arab Spring. The only bright spot is the eventual re-integration of Iran into the international system as a result of the nuclear deal, although this is inflaming the Sunni-Shia rivalry involving major powers like Saudi Arabia.

Low oil prices, by concentrating global supply to low-cost but unstable Middle East producers, would aggravate energy security. In a conference organised in early December by the Bosphorus Energy Club in Turkey talks focused on security and the future of the gas relationship with Russia. The history of major gas pipelines planned to be constructed in the area covering Russia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East indicates the existence of unresolved, economic and geopolitical, conflicts. The Nabucco pipeline, linking Azerbaijan with Austria via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, was abandoned in June 2013. The South Stream, linking Russia with Austria via Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia, was cancelled in December 2014. The Russian Stream, linking Russia with Turkey, was abandoned in December 2015.

Conflicts or accidents may disrupt supply flows and destabilise markets as viciously as market forces. The world’s governments should be watchful and pro-active in both the economic and political sphere so as to ensure a smooth passage to clean energy – fulfilling thus a vital condition for saving the planet.

IMAGE CREDIT: FLICKR/Takver

 

The post Threats to the Paris accord appeared first on Europe’s World.

Le gouvernement grec a soulevé deux points cruciaux dans le projet de la Commission de créer une nouvelle force européenne aux frontières, qui sera débattu lors du sommet européen débute aujourd’hui (17 décembre). Un article d’EurActiv Grèce.

Séance plénière : Personne ne devrait jamais être retenu pour la seule raison d’être demandeur d’asile, ont affirmé les participants au débat de mercredi. Demander l’asile est un droit humain de base et la rétention ne peut être utilisée qu'en dernier ressort, ont-ils insisté. Plusieurs députés ont critiqué les déclarations du Président du Conseil européen, M. Tusk sur la rétention de migrants jusqu’à 18 mois afin de les "filtrer". D’autres ont estimé que ces décisions devraient être prises au niveau national.

Source : © Union européenne, 2015 - PE

Le Tribunal de l’Union européenne a estimé que Bruxelles retardait de manière illégale depuis plusieurs années l’encadrement législatif des perturbateurs endocriniens, pourtant soupçonnés d’être dangereux par la communauté scientifique.

SNCF / Kommission
Staatliche Beihilfen
Das Gericht der EU bestätigt, dass die von Frankreich gewährte und von der Kommission in einer früheren Entscheidung unter Bedingungen genehmigte staatliche Beihilfe für Sernam in Höhe von 503 Millionen Euro missbräuchlich verwendet worden ist

SNCF kontra Bizottság
Állami támogatás
The General Court confirms that the State aid in the sum of € 503 million granted by France to Sernam and conditionally approved by the Commission in an earlier decision was wrongfully implemented

SNCF / Commission
Aide d'État
Le Tribunal de l’UE confirme que les aides d’État d’un montant de 503 millions d’euros octroyées par la France à Sernam et approuvées sous conditions par la Commission dans une décision antérieure ont été mises en œuvre de manière abusive

SNCF v Commission
State aid
The General Court confirms that the State aid in the sum of € 503 million granted by France to Sernam and conditionally approved by the Commission in an earlier decision was wrongfully implemented

Spanien / Kommission
Staatliche Beihilfen
Le Tribunal annule la décision de la Commission selon laquelle le régime espagnol de leasing fiscal constitue une aide d’État illégale

Spanyolország kontra Bizottság
Állami támogatás
The General Court annuls the Commission’s decision that the Spanish tax lease system is an illegal state aid.

Espagne / Commission
Aide d'État
Le Tribunal annule la décision de la Commission selon laquelle le régime espagnol de leasing fiscal constitue une aide d’État illégale

Spain v Commission
State aid
The General Court annuls the Commission’s decision that the Spanish tax lease system is an illegal state aid.

I’ll begin with a confession. This blog should have been finished weeks ago. If my first 3 months working for FleishmanHillard have taught me anything, it is that when you’re working full time, things will always get in the way. This is hopefully the first blog of many and I’ll be writing about a range of things regarding communications, public affairs and how they overlap.

But enough about me. This blog isn’t about my life, it’s about Twitter. Specifically it’s about unlocking the potential of Twitter and using it in such a way that covering events becomes less about reflecting the argument and more about shaping it. Sound complicated? It’s not.

If you have an objective which you want to achieve and messages which you need to get across then you need to cut through the conversation. You need to be seen and hastily typing out some live text tweets simply isn’t enough. Those of us in Communications are lucky that Twitter offers us the potential to set and shape any given agenda and we need to stop wasting it.

Which brings us to Paris. The city of love, lights and (at least during last week) engaging and meaningful social content. Recently, I was part of a team which went with a major industry association to COP21. Whilst there, we communicated a range of specific and important messages in a space that wasn’t so much crowded as overloaded with people all trying to do the same.

The Challenge? Taking a complex and technical issue and communicating it to people inside and outside the event in a way that made them want to engage with it.

The plan? To make use all of the options given to us by Twitter and demonstrate that covering an event  isn’t necessarily about telling people what is happening, but rather showing them. Why tell people what is happening in the room when we can bring them in there with us?

So that’s what we did. Powered by the expertise and talent of FleishmanHillard Brussels’ in-house Digital, Social & Creative team we created several batches of content which viusalised the client’s messaging and delivered on their objectives. Using GIFS, Videos, Pictures, Vines, Animations, Caricatures and yes, text, we showed twitter users not only what was happening at COP21, but why and how the client was a part of it.

The results? More followers, more video views, more likes, more impressions, more engagements and more exposure on Twitter than we had got in the 3 months leading up to COP21. We were talking about what our client had to offer and we were covering an event, but we were doing it in such a way that people were sitting up and taking note. Don’t believe me? Before COP21 the association’s account was averaging 5 retweets a day. During the event it regularly topped 100.

The methodology we used is very simple. You need an objective, specific messaging and an understanding of both who your audience is and how to reach it. When you have all of that it is simply a matter of using those insights to shape your content.

The catch? Creating content which both stands out from the crowd and delivers on your objectives isn’t easy… but you can’t afford not to try.

Alex Burchill – Digital, Social and Creative Team

 

 

 

 

Institué en 1988, le "Prix Sakharov pour la liberté de penser" est remis chaque année par le Parlement européen à des personnes ou des organisations en lutte contre l'oppression, l'intolérance et l'injustice. Ce prix est l'un des nombreux soutiens du Parlement européen aux droits de l'homme et à la démocratie dans le monde.

Plenáris ülés : Senkit nem szabad őrizetbe venni pusztán azért, mert menedéket kér, mondta több felszólaló egy szerda késő délutáni vitában az Európai Parlamentben. A menedék kérése alapvető emberi jog, az őrizetbe vételhez pedig a legvégső esetben szabad csak folyamodni, hangsúlyozták. Több képviselő bírálta az Európai Tanács elnöke, Donald Tusk kijelentését a bevándorlók átvilágítás céljából történő, 18 hónapos őrizetbe vételéről. Mások szerint ezt a döntést nemzeti hatáskörben kell meghozni.

Forrás : © Európai Unió, 2015 - EP

Un article de dernière minute intégré dans le Règlement européen sur les données personnelles, qui sera voté ce jeudi, prévoit d’interdire l’accès aux messageries, aux réseaux sociaux et aux plateformes de téléchargement mobile aux moins de 16 ans sans consentement parental.

La publication du reporting pays par pays des activités des multinationales a finalement été rejetée par les députés le 16 décembre, sous la pression du gouvernement, qui refuse d’avancer sans ses partenaires européens sur cette mesure de lutte contre l’optimisation fiscale.

Les membres du Parlement européen ont soutenu les entreprises comme Uber lors d’un débat intense sur l’économie collaborative, et ont appelé les autorités des régulations à encourager leur développement en Europe.

In der Flüchtlingskrise drängt Österreichs Bundeskanzler Werner Faymann auf eine gerechte Verteilung von Zuwandern: Sollten sich die östlichen Mitgliedsstaaten weiterhin dagegen sperren, sollen sie schon im kommenden Jahr weniger EU-Gelder bekommen.