European officials say they will not accept a deal 'at any cost' but maintain the bloc is ready to 'build bridges' to succeed.
GENEVA (AN) — European Union officials warned global negotiations for a plastics treaty were at a pivotal moment, calling on nations to compromise to avoid the talks collapsing without a legally binding agreement.
The stark assessment on Tuesday came from Magnus Heunick, Denmark’s environment miniser, and Jessika Roswall, the European environment commissioner, who both emphasized the economic and political stakes of the negotiations involving more than 170 nations.
The U.N.-brokered treaty is close to becoming law, with 52 countries signed on and eight more needed to make it official.
Leaders argue any successful treaty must be built on partnership with and respect for Indigenous communities.
The U.N.-hosted talks failed to overcome opposition to reducing plastic production among oil and gas producers.
The latest draft text omitted any legally-binding production limits and a dedicated section on chemicals of concern.
"The atomic bombs that I experienced 80 years ago were like babies compared to today’s nuclear weapons," said Kodama.
As wealthy nations deploy next-generation technologies like 5G and AI, the digital gap is growing deeper, not shallower.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization's initial security focus has broadened to include economic and trade cooperation.
The latest raids are a significant escalation in a long-running crackdown by the rebels against international organizations.
