News, Nannette Cazaubon

EU PRESIDENCY Austria’s priorities for the Union

On 1st July, Austria took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Bulgaria for the second half of 2018. The motto of the Austrian Presidency is ‘A Europe that protects’. The focus of the new Presidency will be on security and the fight against illegal migration; securing prosperity and competitiveness through digitalisation; and stability in the European neighbourhood. At the opening ceremony in the Alpine town of Schladming, in the presence of Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and European Council President Donald Tusk, Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that Austria, as a bridge-builder, wants to make sure that the EU is strong. The Austrian Presidency Programme is available via its website: > Web: www.eu2018.at Opening ceremony of the Austrian EU Presidency, 30.6.2018. From

left to right: Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, Boyko

Borissov, Bulgarian Prime Minister, Sebastian Kurz, Austrian Federal

Chancellor

Photo: © European Union

EU COOPERATION The end of a name dispute

On 12 June, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) reached an historic accord with Greece to finally resolve the dispute over its name. The name issue has disrupted relations between the two neighbour countries for decades, because Greece has objected to the FYROM’s use of the name Macedonia. The new official name will be “North Macedonia”, but until the deal –which a huge part of the Greek population opposes –is ratified by the parliaments of both countries, the EU will continue using the name FYROM. The end of the dispute with Greece could pave the way for the country to be included in an enlargement of the European Union and NATO, which has so far been vetoed by Greece. At the end of the ceremony, FYROM’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev removed his tie to give it to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. The latter, known for not wearing ties, has promised to wear one only when Greece secures an alleviation of its debt. Signing ceremony at Prespa Lake. From left to right: High Represent

ative Federica Mogherini, Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner

for European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations,

Zoran Zaev, Prime Minister of FYROM, Alexis Tsipras, Greek Prime

Minister

Photo: © European Union

Obituary On 9 May 2018, our dear long-term colleague and translator Mary Zulke passed away at the age of 64 after battling a severe illness. Through her profound expertise, her open-mindedness and extraordinary linguistic intuition, Mary significantly contributed to turning this magazine into a notable publication. Her discretion, humility, gentleness but also her fine sense of humour will be greatly missed.

The ESDU Team

Team meeting with Mary Zulke (right) in Normandy, October 2016

The global temperature continues to rise

According to NASA, the planet’s average surface temperature has risen about 1.1 ˚C since the late 19 th century. Most of the warming has occurred in the past 35 years, largely driven by increased carbon dioxide and other man-made emissions into the atmosphere. For 2018, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) reported that record warmth was observed across parts of Europe, North America, and Asia, as well as the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Extreme weather events also continued during the first part of the year with unusually heavy rainfall in Bangladesh, adding to the misery of hundreds of thousands of refugees. Floods affected also many other people and killed dozens in East Africa. Somalia, Djibouti, Yemen and Oman were hit by rare tropical cyclones. Pakistan suffered successive heatwaves, while sand and dust storms in India killed several hundred people. In Scandinavia and the Baltic region unusually high temperatures and lack of rainfall posed a risk of wildfires whereas other parts of Europe have seen new daily rainfall records (as in France). The Caribbean, still trying to recover from the devastating 2017 hurricane season, prepares for yet another season...

EU Intervention Initiative signed off

On 25 June, during the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg dealing with the issue of European security and defence, the Defence Ministers from Belgium, United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Luxemburg, Portugal and Spain signed a Letter of Intent to establish a European military force for rapid deployment in crisis scenarios near Europe’s borders. This initiative, based on French President Emmanuel Macron’s speech at the Sorbonne in September 2017, will not be part of EU defence structures, such as Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). It has won the backing of the UK which seeks to maintain defence ties after Brexit, something that seems ensured with this initiative. The same applies to Denmark which does not participate in the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who took part in the EU defence ministers’ meeting, said: “I welcome this initiative, because I believe it can strengthen the readiness of our forces.” > Web: https://tinyurl.com/y8vrs489 French Minister of Defence, Florence Parly, with her German counterpart Ursula von der Leyen during the meeting of EU defence ministers on 25 June in Luxembourg.

Photo: © European Union

©: Peter Slama

TO OUR READERS We decided to dedicate this edition’s main topic to the urgent issue of climate change. We invited personalities from politics and EU institutions, climate experts, and people from NGOs involved in development projects, to explore how environmental stress and climate change impacts are linked to security risks – ranging from the fight over scare resources and the weaponisation of water to migration and radicalisation – and act as a risk multiplier in already fragile regions. Furthermore, we focus on the question of how intelligent development policies and projects can prevent climate change impacts or help people to better adapt to them. We also aim to show how the energy sector has to adapt to help in reducing CO 2 emissions and reaching the Paris Agreement targets.

NATO–EU Joint declaration

On 10 July, a day before the beginning of the NATO Summit in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker signed a new Joint Declaration on cooperation between NATO and the European Union. The Declaration states that NATO and the EU are strengthening cooperation in a range of areas, including military mobility, counter-terrorism, resilience to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear-related risks, and promoting the Women, Peace and Security agenda. > Web: https://tinyurl.com/ycc48zch

> See the chapter Security & Defence beginning p. 51 which includes an interview with the Commanding General of the Eurocorps, Jürgen Weigt, on interoperability (pp. 52-54). > See also the interview with Balkan expert Gerald Knaus, Chairman of the European Stability Initiative, on how NATO-led multinational forces succeeded in bringing stability to the Western Balkans region.

2018 is a crucial year for global climate action The European Union’s action on climate protection

by Mauro Petriccione, Director-General, DG Climate Action, European Commission, Brussels

From drought-damaged harvests to vanishing coastlines, adverse climate change impacts are already being felt across the world, and pressures on our planet are increasing. Climate change can multiply threats in the field of peace and security – recent years show that extreme weather, resource scarcity and food production volatility can exacerbate local and regional tensions, leading to conflict, migration and global security consequences. Meeting the Paris rules The European Union (EU) has been at the forefront of global climate action for many years. Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and transforming our economy are top priorities for the current European Commission, while we are also working hard to make our economies and societies sustainable and resilient to climate change impacts. 2018 is a crucial year for global climate action. In 2015, the Paris Agreement parties agreed to finalise detailed rules for implementing the landmark deal by the end of this year. Parties face the tough task of adopting this Paris ‘rulebook’ at the COP24 summit in December in Katowice, Poland. Clear and comprehensive rules are vital for turning our shared commitment and vision into real collective action – and it is in the interest of all sides, developed and developing countries alike and most of all those most vulnerable to climate change. Since the Paris Agreement, the EU has worked hard to lay the foundations for achieving our pledge to reduce GHG emissions by at least 40% by 2030 compared to 1990. To meet this goal and our 2030 targets on renewables and energy efficiency, the EU has drawn up a comprehensive package of policies and measures across the whole economy, including a reform of the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS) and 2030 targets for all EU Member States to reduce emissions in sectors outside the EU ETS including transport, buildings and agriculture. Our 2030 climate and energy framework is not just about meeting targets, it is about enabling Europe to capitalise on the economic and social opportunities offered by the low-carbon transition. And we are not only looking to 2030 – it is part of our vision to make the EU a true low-carbon economy by 2050. At the request of EU leaders, the Commission will put forward a proposal for a new EU long-term strategy for reducing emissions later this year. The ability to adapt to climate change Alongside reducing GHG emissions, the EU is committed to increasing our ability to adapt to climate change. The severe heat waves and forest fires that hit southern Europe last summer are a stark reminder of the importance of preparing for climate change. The EU Adaptation Strategy of 2013 encourages adaptation action at national, regional and local levels, provides guidance and information for Member States and tracks progress, as well as promoting EU funding for adaptation measures. 25 Member States now have a national adaptation strategy and thousands of cities across Europe have committed to climate action, with adaptation as a growing element. Climate action is also now integrated into all major EU funding programmes. Mauro Petriccione

is Director General of DG Climate Action at the European Commission since March 2018. Born 1957 in Taranto, he graduated in Law from the University of Bari (1982), obtained a LL.M. from the London School of Economics (1986), and then joined the European Commission (1987). Prior to his current role he was Deputy-Director General of DG Trade (from 2014). He has served as Chief Negotiator for the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the EUVietnam Free Trade Agreement and the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement. Photo: © EU “ Climate change is clearly not a conventional security threat and addressing it will require a comprehensive and integrated approach, across all levels of governance.” Mauro Petriccione

High-level event “Climate, Security and Peace: the Time for Action”, Brussels, 22.6.2018. On the left: HR/VP Federica Mogherini and Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete Photo: © European Union , 2018 / Photo: Lukasz Kobus

A forthcoming evaluation of the EU strategy will allow us to assess its implementation and reflect on lessons learned, with a view to increasing resilience at all levels. EU action on climate change does not stop at our borders. The EU and its Member States are fully committed to achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Since the US administration announced its intention to withdraw from the agreement, we have stepped up policy dialogue and cooperation with all global partners, as well as continuing to support mitigation and adaptation measures, including capacity-building and technology transfer for countries most in need. Together, the EU and its Member States are the biggest providers of climate finance, supplying over  20 billion in 2016 alone.

The climate change-security nexus Climate action and climate diplomacy are key components of wider EU external action and cooperation. EU leaders recently vowed to address the destabilising effects and risks of climate change and the nexus between climate change and security in policy dialogue, conflict prevention, development and humanitarian action and disaster risk strategies. The EU continues to promote global action on this issue through the G7, G20 and all UN systems, and has urged the UN Security Council to increase its focus on the climate-security nexus. The EU’s Global Strategy for foreign and security policy states that while security and defence are essential for giving the EU a credible role in the world, their full strength and value are only fulfilled when deployed alongside other policies with important external aspects, including climate. Climate change is also one of ten risk factors included in the EU’s Conflict Early Warning System. The importance of policy and operational linkages between climate and security was the subject of a recent highlevel conference hosted by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. The event of 22 June brought together politicians, experts and civil society to discuss ongoing and emerging threats posed by climate change and ways forward to safeguard these linkages, in Europe and worldwide. (See pp. 32-33)

Improving resilience to climate-related shocks Well-designed development and humanitarian programmes can also help states and communities to build economic, governance, and social capacities and improve resilience to climate-related shocks. The EU has aligned its development objectives with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and played a key role in the adoption of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. To increase climate resilience in local communities worldwide, non-state actors have a key role to play. They know the local context and know which adaptation actions can best contribute to building resilience. The EU is a strong and active supporter of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, the world’s biggest coalition of cities and local governments committed to ambitious climate mitigation and adaptation action. Climate change is clearly not a conventional security threat and addressing it will require a comprehensive and integrated approach, across all levels of governance. Its adverse effects are already a harsh reality today – and left unchallenged they could not only undo the development improvements made so far, but pose a fundamental threat to our future peace and prosperity. The EU is as committed as ever to working with all partners and stakeholders to make the global journey towards sustainable and climate-resilient societies a successful and inclusive one.