Memo: The Copenhagen climate change negotiations: EU position and state of play

International negotiations were launched in December 2007 to draw up a United Nations agreement on tackling climate change for the period after 2012, when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (setting emission targets for industrialised countries) will expire. The deadline set for the negotiations to be concluded is the Copenhagen climate conference on 7-18 December 2009. Five negotiating sessions at official level have been held this year to prepare the agreement, the final round from 2 to 6 November in Barcelona.