THE European Parliament has voted to establish a climate change committee to co-ordinate MEPs work on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and formulate new proposals for EU policy on the issue.

Six Green Party MEPs from across the EU will serve on the committee, including South-East England Euro-MP Caroline Lucas.

Dr Lucas said: "I am delighted to have been chosen to represent the Greens on this committee, which will need to exercise real leadership if it is to successfully co-ordinate parliamentary proposals and work in this area.

"Just a few weeks ago we saw legislation designed to force car manufacturers to produce cars with lower climate change emissions weakened after a tussle between the Parliament's transport and environment committees.

"MEPs have realised that oversight of all the parliament's climate change work if needed if we are to make sure this doesn't happen again - essential if we are to meet ven the grossly inadequate EU target, adopted last month, of cutting emissions by 20 per cent by 2020, let alone stave off the most devastating impacts of climate change.

"We need to set higher targets and, crucially, deliver on them.

"To do that we must put our own house in orders (a good start would be scrapping the two-seat arrangement which sees meetings alternate between Brussels and Strasbourg, unnecessarily emitting at least 20,000 tonnes of CO2 every year) - and make sure cutting emissions is a priority for all parliamentary proposals.

"The committee will establish its rules of engagement at its first meeting in a fortnight's time - and I hope it will be robust enough to address these questions."

The constitutive meeting of the committee will take place on 10 May in Brussels. The other Green MEPs on the committee are Rebecca Harms (Germany), Satu Hassi (Finland), Claude Turmes (Luxembourg), Michael Cramer (Germany) and Bart Staes (Belgium).