EU reiterates support for Paris agreement

BRUSSELS, June 19 (Xinhua) — The European Union (EU) reaffirmed Monday its support for Paris agreement on climate change when its Foreign Affairs Council convened in Luxembourg.

The Council said in a statement that the Paris Agreement is fit for purpose and cannot be renegotiated.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 1 that he has decided to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement, a landmark global pact to fight climate change.

The Council said it deeply regretted the unilateral decision by the United States administration to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, while it welcomed the statements of commitment to the Agreement from other countries.

The Council said the EU will lead in the global fight against climate change through its climate policies and through continued support to those who are particularly vulnerable.

Besides, the EU is strengthening its existing global partnerships and will continue to seek new alliances, from the world’s largest economies to the most vulnerable island states, according to the statement.

The Paris Agreement, agreed on by almost every country in the world in 2015, aims to tackle climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions and sets a global target of keeping the rise in the average temperature no higher than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels