Climate change
In December 2009 climate change was discussed at a big UN summit in Copenhagen. The aim was to renew the so-called Kyoto Protocol.
The European Union negotiated a mandate for its negotiators at a summit in Brussels on 29-30 November 2009.
In December 2007 15,000 representatives from around the world met in Bali to combat climate change.
The Lisbon Treaty then included the fight against detrimental climate change as an objective of its international negotiations on environmental policy, see Article 191.1 TFEU.
This can be seen as one of 68 new areas in the Lisbon Treaty covered by qualified majority voting for measures at international level.
Climate change is not inserted as a horizontal principle governing all other policies as regards their effects on climate change.
From 2009-14 the Danish Commissioner Connie Hedegaard was responsible for this area. In 2014 the portfolie was merged with energy and went to the Spanish member Miguel ARIAS CAÑETE who shares in the oil industry which he ws forced to sell.