Organisations representing European business and civil society expressed mixed reactions on Friday 11 December to the announcement of the agreement reached by the 27 European Heads of State and Government to raise the EU’s net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target to ‘at least 55%’ by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels - see EUROPE 12621/1).
For the NGOs Greenpeace and Carbon Market Watch, which advocate a reduction in EU emissions by at least 65% by 2030, this new target is insufficient compared to the efforts that the EU should make to comply with the Paris agreement.
“Governments will no doubt call this agreement historic, but the evidence shows that this deal is only a small improvement on the emission cuts the EU is already expected to achieve”, said Sebastian Mang, Greenpeace’s advisor on EU climate policy.
While Mang particularly castigated the mention in the agreement that gas represents a “transition technology”, Carbon Market Watch points out that the new 2030 target approved by the EU-27 now allows for the inclusion of CO2 absorption by the land-use sector, as proposed by the European Commission.
“Mixing carbon sinks and emission reductions is an irresponsible accounting trick that undermines the deal’s credibility”, lamented Sam Van den Plas, Carbon Market Watch Policy Director.
Transport & Environment (T&E), for its part, regretted that the European Council plans to review the future of the Effort Sharing Regulation (editor’s note: scheduled for revision in June 2021 - see EUROPE 12592/17) in the first half of 2021. The NGO is concerned that the increase in the collective target will not be followed by an increase in the national climate targets set by this regulation.
On the other hand, James Watson, Secretary General of Eurogas, an organisation representing the European gas industry, welcomed “the fact that European leaders have recognised the role of gas in achieving the 55% emission reduction target”.
Describing this decision as a pragmatic approach, he considered that gaseous fuels have an undeniable role to play in all Member States in ensuring energy security, affordable heating, and a cost-effective energy transition.
Finally, BusinessEurope, the leading organisation defending the interests of European business employers, called on the EU to “focus on the question of how to deliver our climate ambitions without undermining the economic recovery” as well as to “take into account competitiveness requirements when shaping the different climate policy proposals to be presented in 2021”. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)