Le Monde and the EU Observer dated this week report on the latest meeting of EU finance ministers on the issue of paying for adaptation actions to tackle climate change in developing countries. This question is likely to be central to the negotiations on climate change policy action at the next United Nations Copenhagen Summit from 7th to 18th December 2009. The agreement hoped for by the Swedish EU presidency was thus not reached during the meeting and any decision-making has been postponed to a European meeting of the heads of states and governments on 29th and 30th October in Brussels. There is a divide between European Member States, not only on individual contributions, but also on the general amount for an EU funding pot of between 2 and 15 billion euros, which might be decided upon then.

Farm land in Ethiopia: link to the picture in context

The European Commission had nonetheless stated early in September that developing countries will need at least €100 billion a year from 2020 onwards in order to be able to take part in the global effort to fight against the greenhouse effect and its dramatic consequences. So far, the EU has not been able to specify the amount of the pot of funding, so,sadly enough, no progress was made in the negotiations.