The treaty now goes to the European Council of heads of state and government, which could ratify it at the EU summit in Barcelona, Spain, this month.

"This means that the EU will complete the ratification [process] by 1 June," said European Commission spokeswoman for environmental protection Pia Ahrenkilde-Hansen.

We'll see.  

The protocol, commits the EU to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases by 8% of the 1990 levels during the five-year period 2008-2012.  To have legal status, Kyoto must be ratified by 55 countries responsible for 55% of the emissions in 1990.  

Two things make me sceptical.  

Firstly, the time scale lies conveniently beyond the date when the politicians who ratified the treaty are likely to have left office.  

Secondly, now that the US has rejected the protocol as damaging to its economic interests, all the other developed countries must ratify for Kyoto to come into force.   This means Russia, Japan and Canada must all ratify. 

How convenient for the present generation of EU leaders.  With a bit of luck one or other country will fail to ratify and the whole misguided effort will collapse.  Tony Blair and his friends will still be able to claim that they tried.  

If the worst comes to the worst and the damn thing gets ratified, it will not matter too much because they won't be in power when the costs of compliance start coming in.  

When the compound effects of reducing growth year on year by a fraction of a percent or so really bite, and GDP is 10, 20 or 50 percent below what it would have been, they will be dead.  Thank God.  

Jim Thornton, Leeds 6 March 2002