COP29: First draft text draws widespread criticism but presidency confident of imminent breakthrough

The leader of the European Parliament's delegation to COP29 tells Euronews that mitigation efforts must be stepped up in an ambitious way.

Transcript

00:00The latest draft of the negotiating text, published on Thursday by the Cup of Presidency,

00:05has raised some eyebrows here in Baku. The new document highlights several key

00:09questions that remain unresolved, such as what qualifies for inclusion in the annual figure,

00:14who the contributors are and how much they're expected to provide.

00:18The EU Commissioner for Climate described the lack of clear figures for the climate

00:22finance goal as unacceptable. Although not directly involved in the negotiations,

00:27we asked Lidia Pereira, Chair of the EU Parliament Delegation, what's her take on the issue.

00:33We cannot put at stake mitigation. We have to work with the three elements of climate change,

00:39mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage. And so for us it is unacceptable that there

00:44are certain countries that are pushing for a backtracking of the agreement that was achieved

00:48last year at Dubai, the EUAE consensus on the transitioning away the use of fossil fuels.

00:54Pereira doesn't seem concerned about the numbers.

00:57She told us stepping up efforts on mitigation is the priority.

01:01Well, we are reaching the final hours of negotiations, so I'm very much convinced

01:06that today we will hear the numbers. But I think the positive side of these negotiations is that

01:12the EU is willing to step up its game when it comes to climate financing. But on the other side,

01:19we have to see some movement of not backtracking instead of stepping up the game in terms of

01:25mitigation. If we don't address mitigation, what we will witness, which is exactly what we

01:31witnessed already, is the tragedies as Valencia, as Malaga, as the fires in Portugal, as the floods

01:38in Eastern Europe. In a statement, Azerbaijan's COP29 presidency clarified that the document is

01:44not final and the figures will be added in the next release. Sources close to the negotiations

01:49confirmed to Euronews that a breakthrough in Baku is within reach. George Orlandi, Euronews, at COP29

01:56in Baku.