During the meeting, the head of the ministry of climate and environment emphasised that Paris Agreement remains the central element of global climate cooperation.

Paris Agreement, together with the Katowice Rulebook, answer the questions of who, when and how should act for the benefit of the climate. However, the COP climate conference is not a forum where the political will for climate action is created. These ambitions should be shaped at the level of countries and international political forums, he said.

Michał Kurtyka, Minister of Climate and Environment, also emphasised that the topics proposed by the COP26 presidency are a continuation of the specific measures proposed at COP24 to support ambitions for climate protection.

As the chairman of COP24, I am open to working on some of these initiatives. At the COP, these areas will be as important as some of the negotiating items we have on the Glasgow agenda, he said.

Minister also pointed out that Poland was pleased to receive the news that the United Kingdom and Italy would lead the G7 and G20 summits next year.

I am sure they will use their presidency to discuss the green recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. We need more instruments to implement these objectives so that we can further intensify our activities. I believe that close bilateral cooperation – not only of large countries such as China, but also regional cooperation can bring huge benefits. In this context, international cooperation in the field of innovation is particularly important, same as the use of trade policy mechanisms to combat climate change, he said.

During the meeting, the head of the ministry of climate and environment emphasised that the group Friends of the Paris Agreement is a good example of multi-level international management.