Remarks by President Donald Tusk at the High-Level event on the Global Pact for the Environment

First of all I would like to thank President Macron for his initiative on the Global Pact for the Environment.

International environmental law has developed a lot over the last 40 years. There are many international organisations and instruments intended to protect everything from species and habitats to the oceans and the atmosphere. But we lack an overarching, legally binding framework that brings them all together and gives them greater coherence and force. This is why the initiative on the Global Pact for the Environment is so timely.

Let me also express my support to President Macron for the ambition to establish an inclusive process to define how we turn this initiative into action. The EU and its Member States will be ready to help shape that process with an open mind.

I would also like to use this opportunity to share with you my reflection after meeting the Prime Ministers of Bhutan and Fiji yesterday here in New York. Like all other countries of the world now, these two countries are also feeling the very real effects of climate change. Despite their small means, they do not hesitate and continue their determined fight against climate change. We cannot let them or any others down in this truly global challenge. This is why I want to call for a prompt and comprehensive implementation of the Paris agreement.

Thank you.