26 March 2010, Brussels, Belgium

Heads of States and Governments of the European Union (EU) gathered at the European Council (EC) meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on 25-26 March 2010. In the meeting, EU leaders discussed the strategy to be followed during the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the UNFCCC in Mexico at the end of this year, drawing on the lessons learned during COP 15 in Copenhagen last December. The EU had attended COP 15 with the expectation to leave with a binding global climate agreement that would follow-up on the Kyoto Protocol, but not with a legally non-binding Copenhagen Accord.

During the meeting, the EC passed a conclusion that calls introducing a new dynamic to the international negotiation process, and proposed following a stepwise approach building on the Copenhagen Accord and its swift implementation.  The conclusion recommends that the next international negotiating session in Bonn in April 2010 should set the roadmap for advancing negotiations, integrating the political guidance of the Copenhagen Accord into the negotiating texts. It also suggests that that COP 16 should provide concrete decisions and address remaining gaps, including adaptation, forestry, technology, and monitoring, reporting and verification.

The European Council also notes that while remaining firmly committed to the UNFCCC process and supporting ongoing efforts to make it more effective, this process could be complemented and supported by discussions in other settings and on specific issues. To this end, the EU commits to address climate change at all regional and bilateral meetings, including at summit level, as well as other fora, such as the G20.