Environmental NGOs welcomed on Thursday 14 March the European Parliament's vote on EU climate action, which calls on the EU to aim for zero net emissions by 2050 at the latest and to raise its mitigation target by 2030 to 55% (see EUROPE 12214/13).
They consider this vote to be welcome on the eve of the World Day of School and Youth Climate Strikes, which is being held on Friday 15 March in around 100 countries, and believe that the governments of the Member States should listen to Parliament.
“Now, only national governments stand in the way of the EU increasing climate action. Protests across Europe show that people want politicians to tackle climate change. The EU Parliament gets the message. With European and national elections around the corner, governments would be foolish to ignore the groundswell”, said Sebastian Mang of Greenpeace's European office.
“MEPs have shown they take citizens' concerns seriously. Their support for net zero greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by 2050 latest, and higher cuts by 2030, is an encouraging sign to EU Member States”, said Imke Lübbeke of the European office of the WWF - NGO, which supports a 65% emissions reduction target for 2030 and net zero emissions by 2040 to be in line with the Paris Agreement's 1.5° temperature target.
However, these NGOs may be disappointed, judging by the draft European Council Conclusions, which are due to indicate on Friday 22 March the political direction and priorities for the EU's long-term climate strategy to be submitted to the UN by January 2020, as expected for all parties to the Paris Climate Agreement (see EUROPE 12207/3, 12201/11).
The European Council reportedly wants to combine climate neutrality and industrial competitiveness. The main focus of this project is on the need to combine climate neutrality with the competitiveness of European industry and to ensure a fair transition to a climate-neutral European economy.
The European Council will, of course, reiterate its commitment to the Paris Agreement and recognise the need to intensify global efforts to tackle climate change in light of the latest scientific evidence, in particular the IPCC Special Report on the impacts of an average global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
It will underline the importance for the EU of submitting an ambitious long-term strategy by 2020 to achieve climate neutrality, in line with the Paris Agreement, while addressing the competitiveness of European industry. It is also expected to call for the timely finalisation of long-term national strategies.
The EU Council is expected to be invited to intensify its work on the long-term strategy before European leaders discuss it again later this year.
The draft conclusions highlight the significant opportunities offered by the Paris Agreement and its potential for economic growth, new jobs and technological development and to strengthen European competitiveness - opportunities to be seized while ensuring a fair and socially balanced transition for all.
The text could still change by 22 March, but only marginally. It is clear that while several countries such as Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Luxembourg, France and the Netherlands are in favour of increasing the EU's ambitions, others, such as Germany, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, are opposed. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)