On Monday 29 April, European employers declared their readiness to support the climate neutrality objective of the European economy in the long-term, provided that the competitiveness of European industry, security of energy supply, and climate ambition go hand-in-hand and that society as a whole is mobilised.
In a brochure published on the same day, BusinessEurope advocated an EU comprehensive industrial strategy for investment, with the widespread availability of low-carbon energy at an affordable cost, the full participation of European citizens, and a rapid convergence of actions on a global scale.
This document is a contribution to reflections going on within the EU, fuelled by the vision of a future long-term EU climate strategy as set out by the Commission and discussed in the various EU Council formations, and for which the European Council has just set out a number of key objectives (see EUROPE 12221/9, 12220/4).
“European companies support the EU's ambition to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions and thereby meet the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement. Companies that are investing on a massive scale today are ready to engage with governments and society to achieve it. Whether climate neutrality can be achieved by the middle of the century and can limit global warming to 1.5° will depend on the achievement of a set of framework conditions and crucial actions”, commented BusinessEurope's CEO, Markus J. Beyrer.
Among the conditions and actions stated are: - the recognition of the different conditions and starting points of Member States, before acting in a way to stimulate European coordination for efficient and cost-effective implementation; - the development and deployment of technologies to support the decarbonisation of value chains in Europe in a cost-effective manner, before unlocking investment through a comprehensive industrial strategy; - the widespread availability of low-carbon energy, as a prerequisite for developing an integrated value chain approach to energy supply; - adaptation of consumer behaviour to low-emission energy transition and public acceptance of this transition, which will require active engagement with citizens to achieve this acceptance; - convergence of global climate ambitions and, in particular, G20 countries working together to update their nationally determined contribution (NDC), and the development of common market mechanisms to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
BusinessEurope points out that additional safeguards should be considered in line with international actions in order to maintain production in Europe by preventing carbon leakage and investment (offshoring).
To consult the brochure in English: https://bit.ly/2L6G67g. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)