Brussels, 17/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 17 May in Brussels, agriculture ministers from EU member states held a fairly general debate on the need to take the agricultural sector into account in the EU's post-2020 greenhouse gas emission targets (see EUROPE 11504 and 11550).
The European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Canete, made a presentation on the state of progress regarding work on the forthcoming proposals on greenhouse gas reduction burden sharing ("Energy and Climate Framework 2030"). A proposal is also expected on Land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF).
Agriculture (excluding carbon dioxide emissions from LULUCF) now accounts for around 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. Agriculture is being called on to reduce its emissions but without damaging the sector's production potential, pointed out several agriculture ministers, on Tuesday. Farming-based emissions (excluding LULUCF related carbon dioxide emissions) have fallen by 23% since 1990.
The Dutch presidency repeated the fact that farming is part of the solution and can help contribute to carbon storage in soil and forests. It can also help other sectors reduce their emissions by way of biomass production for the development of the bio-economy, which can help towards replacing fossil fuels.
Agriculture and LULUCF are not covered by the Community Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). These sectors will have to participate in the greenhouse gas reduction effort as part of the Post-2030 Climate and Energy Framework. Commission legislative proposals are expected for this dossier on 29 June.
Three options are on the table for taking these emissions into account: maintaining the use of land outside CO2 emission reduction efforts and separately calculating emissions linked to agriculture; creating European targets for the use of soil, including the agriculture sector, which would help integration into soil use management systems; creating a major "pillar" for agriculture and soil use, in which agricultural emissions could partly be compensated by the absorption of CO2 in soil when calculating national targets.
During the Agriculture Council on Tuesday, Finland expressed a preference for the first option (status quo). Denmark and Ireland, similarly to Finland, for example, drafted an informal document on tackling agriculture sector emissions. Poland organised a ministerial confidence on the theme of flexibility and the use of LULUCF and ETS. Latvia also presented a document on the theme of agriculture and climate. Several delegations, including Finland and Sweden, called for flexibility elements to be included in forest management.
The EU made a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions on its territory by 2030 by 40% (compared to 1990 levels). Last year, the Commission presented its proposal for sectors involved in the ETS. For sectors not covered by the ETS but by the decision on burden sharing, the Commission is seeking to adopt legislative proposals before the summer holidays. The sectors not involved in the ETS are agriculture, transport, construction, waste management and light industry. The LULUCF will also for the first time be largely included in the emissions reduction target. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)