Press Release: Climate change: Commission welcomes IPCC decision to grant EC full participation

On 28 October 2009 the European Commission welcomed the decision by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to let the European Community participate fully in IPCC meetings, a prerogative normally reserved for governments. The IPCC is a United Nations organisation which acts as an objective source of information on climate change. The decision, taken at the IPCC meeting this week, recognises the special status of the European Community and gives Commission representatives the right to speak and to introduce proposals like any IPCC Member, but not to vote. This is in line with what the Commission requested.