As members of the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) vote on Thursday 10 September on compromise amendments to the report by Jytte Guteland (S&D, Sweden) on the future ‘climate law’, negotiations between the political groups are in full swing.
Target 2030.
Among the hotly debated points: the extent to which the European Union's target for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 should be raised (see EUROPE 12495/21).
While the European Union is currently aiming for a 40% reduction in emissions compared to 1990 levels, the European Commission's 'climate law' proposal (see EUROPE 12439/2) proposes setting a new target of -50% to -55%, depending on the results of an impact study which the institution will present in the coming weeks.
According to information gathered by EUROPE, the ENVI Committee, for its part, will advocate a much more ambitious reduction: -60% or -65%. The choice between these two objectives has not yet been made, however, as the political groups are unable to reach agreement.
While the S&D, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL are trying to rally the EPP behind -65% - the target proposed by Ms Guteland (see EUROPE 12483/11), negotiations on this point are not expected to be concluded before Monday or Tuesday.
The EPP will also consider the target proposed by Ms Guteland for 2040 (an 80-85% reduction in emissions) as too high.
Objective 2050, GHG budget and scientific council.
On the other hand several compromise amendments tabled by Ms Guteland are supported by the majority of political groups, a parliamentary source told EUROPE.
With regard to the objective of climate neutrality by 2050, the main political groups would therefore agree that it should apply not only to the European Union as a whole, but also to each Member State individually.
Another proposal by Ms Guteland, which is expected to be approved next Thursday, is to ask the Commission to determine the European Union greenhouse gas budget by December 2021. This budget would set out how many tonnes of CO2 can be emitted in the EU by 2050 if the climate goals of the Paris agreement are to be met.
In addition, a compromise would appear to be reached for the establishment by 30 June 2022 of a permanent, independent and interdisciplinary scientific advisory group on climate change. This body, to be called the 'European Climate Change Council', would be composed of a scientific committee of up to 15 experts who would be responsible for developing scientific advice to advise EU climate policy makers.
The majority of political groups would also support a compromise amendment requiring the EU and all Member States to phase out all direct and indirect subsidies to fossil fuels by 31 December 2025 at the latest.
Finally, a compromise amendment provides for an obligation for Member States to ensure that the public has access to justice to challenge the legality of National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and long-term national climate strategies.
Vote in ITRE Committee.
As an associated committee, the Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) is also called upon to give its opinion on the climate law. On Monday 7 September it will vote on compromise amendments to the draft report of Polish MEP Zdzisław Krasnodębski (ECR).
EUROPE has obtained these compromise amendments which mark a clear division on the sensitive points between, on the one hand, the ECR, EPP and ID groups and, on the other hand, the S&D, Renew Europe, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL groups.
While the former believe that the climate-neutral target should only apply to the EU as a whole, the latter want it to apply equally to each Member State individually.
With regard to the 2030 target, a compromise amendment by the ECR and the EPP stresses the importance of the Commission's impact assessment before determining the extent of the increase in the target.
Both groups stress that this study must take into account the economic consequences of Covid-19 and furthermore ask for an analysis of the feasibility of a 50% reduction in GHG emissions by assessing the consequences for each Member State (something the Commission did not foresee in its impact assessment), the potential social impact of the climate measures that would have to be taken, as well as the effects of Brexit.
While these two political groups are therefore a priori in favour of a target of -50%, they nevertheless add that a target of up to -55% can be envisaged, provided that the impact assessment and feasibility analysis "provide proof of an additional potential reduction".
For their part, the four other groups (S&D, Renew Europe, GUE/NGL and Greens/EFA) support a compromise amendment calling for an increased target of -55%.
On the path to achieving the EU's climate objectives, these groups are calling on the Commission to propose a target for 2040 by 30 September 2025.
For their part, the ECR and the EPP are calling on the Commission to present a legislative proposal defining an indicative trajectory at EU level, one year after the entry into force of the climate law. This trajectory should, in their view, be established on the basis of two-year milestones.
Finally, it should be pointed out that, whatever the result of the vote in ITRE, this result does not bind the ENVI Committee, which is the committee responsible for the 'climate law' dossier.
See the compromise amendments to be voted on in ITRE: https://bit.ly/352H64M (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)