Solymos Happy with Outcome of Slovak EU Presidency

Solymos Happy with Outcome of Slovak EU Presidency

Bratislava, January 3 (TASR) – Environment Minister Laszlo Solymos (Most-Hid) has expressed his satisfaction with the results of the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU.

“With the ratification of the Paris Climate Agreement, we pulled off a tour de force. The EU got this mechanism off the ground,” said Solymos in an interview for TASR, noting that it took enormous efforts to arrive at the agreement.

“Unlike the Kyoto Protocol before, the Paris Agreement was ratified within a short space of time,” said the minister. Slovakia and the EU played a part in ensuring that the agreement became effective before the climate talks in Marrakesh, Morocco.

Notwithstanding the lack of agreement on a reform of the emissions trading scheme towards the end of the Slovak presidency, Solymos is confident that the Paris Agreement will be implemented in practice. The change in the scheme is an essential condition for fulfilling its objectives in the fight against climate change. At any rate, the talks have made progress, and Solymos believes that the reform will be hammered out during the current Maltese presidency.

Solymos also conveyed his praise of the people that he worked with. “They did an excellent job, which was shown in the results. The Environment Ministry had the broadest agenda as far as the presidency went,” said Solymos.