THE European Union says it will stand with Pacific island states during COP23 in Bonn, Germany, later this year.
Jesús Lavina, the EU Head of Infrastructure and Natural Resources, said while many might think the EU was far from the Pacific, more than half a million of the population of Pacific Islands were made up of European nationals.
“We have four territories and that’s more than half a million citizens that belong to the EU,” he said.
“We need to work together to fight climate change.
“And again, I don’t want you to be blamed or to be the victims, and I believe we have to work together. The good thing about this discussion is that the EU and the Pacific are very close in trying to achieve the same goal.”
According to a statement by the EU, the two-day Climate Action Pacific Partnership event that ended in Suva last night allowed leaders to exchange ideas fruitfully on possibilities and challenges facing the Pacific region and in addition, the way forward as they prepare for COP23.
“The EU and the Pacific have shared a vision for low-carbon climate resilient future. We commend the strong commitment by all Pacific islands to lead the global charge discussion.
“The EU and its member states are firmly committed to the implementation of the Paris Agreement and are committed to holding global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees and to pursue efforts to limit this increase to 1.5C,” the statement from the EU said.