* Madam Chair, *

* I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. *

* The Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area as well as Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Georgia align themselves with this declaration. *

* The European Union would like to express its satisfaction on the final consensual result of the negotiations on the resolution on the "Promotion of New and Renewable Sources of Energy" (doc. A/C.2/62/L.44). *

* When compared with the text approved two years ago (A/RES/60/199), during the 60th session of the General Assembly, the resolution adopted today reflects remarkable progress in a highly sensitive topic. And yet, the European Union believes that greater emphasis could have been put on the linkage between the promotion of new and renewable sources of energy and climate change. *

* In fact, energy today is still a major challenge from an economic standpoint, particularly for the poor. However, this challenge cannot be fully addressed without encompassing its environmental implications and its close relation to global climate change, both as its cause and potential solution. Undeniably, one of the key possibilities to effectively address climate change is to drastically reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, arising from the production and use of fossil energy. *

* The European Union believes in the possibility of designing national energy policies and regulations, assisted by international agreements and support structures, that promote economic growth and poverty reduction and simultaneously address climate change. *

* History will judge us on our ability to manage this energy environment and mitigate the negative effects of climate change. This is indeed one of the greatest challenges of our generation. *

* Madam Chair, *

* The combined challenges of access to energy, poverty eradication and the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, on the one hand, and economic competitiveness, global energy security and climate change on the other, bring added complexity to the current debate about the promotion of new and renewable sources of energy. *

* The European Union considers that the international community should definitely address these impending challenges with the sense of urgency required to promote and increase the share of new and renewable sources of energy in an integrated manner at the global level, with a view to strengthening action on enhancing energy efficiency and developing sustainable energy policies to move us rapidly from a carbon-based to a more equitable, low-carbon global economy. *

* Mindful that our current energy trends are unsustainable, the European Union considers that it is indispensable to closely link our fight against the negative impacts of climate change, including through robust and ambitious policies to significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and our strategies in terms of promotion of new and renewable sources of energy. *

* Thank you very much Madam Chair. *

* *Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

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