The European Commission proposed, on Wednesday 14 July, to revise upwards the targets assigned to the Member States in order to allow the European Union to reduce by 40% by 2030 compared to 2005 (i.e. 11% more than the current target of 29%) its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in sectors (transport, construction, agriculture, waste management) not covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) or by the LULUCF Regulation on land use. These sectors are currently responsible for 60% of the EU’s GHG emissions.
The new national reduction targets to be achieved in 2030 compared to 2005 are as follows: - Germany: -50% (effort currently assigned by Regulation 2018/842: -38%); - Austria: -48% (-36%); - Belgium: -47% (-35%); - Bulgaria: -10% (-0%); - Cyprus: -32% (-24%); - Croatia: -16.7% (-7%); - Denmark: -50% (-39%); - Spain: -37.7% (-26%); - Estonia: -24% (-13%); - Finland: -50% (-39%); - France: -47.5% (-37%); - Greece: -22.7% (-16%); - Hungary: -18.7% (-7%); - Italy: -43.7% (-33%); - Ireland: -42% (-30%); - Latvia: -17% (-6%); - Lithuania: -21% (-9%); - Luxembourg: - 50% (-40%); - Malta: -19% (-19%); - Netherlands: -48% (-36%); - Poland: -17.7% (-7%); - Portugal: -28.7% (-17%); - Czech Republic: -26% (-14%); - Romania: -12.7% (-2%); - Slovenia: -27% (-15%); - Slovakia: -22.7% (-12%); - Sweden: -50% (-40%).
Based on the GDP/capita ratio and adjusted for cost-effectiveness, the targets take into account the starting situation and capacities of each Member State, the Commission says. No country is expected to achieve more than 12% of its current target. Malta is the only country where the target remains stable.
In its ‘Fit For 55’ legislative package (see other news), the EU institution proposes to include transport and buildings in a separate Emissions Trading System (ETS), but adjacent to the current ETS (see EUROPE 12762/1). These two sectors are nevertheless maintained in the present proposal on effort sharing.
These are sectors where the incentives of a carbon price need to be complemented by action by public authorities, the Commission says, citing for example the need for public investment in infrastructure, support for the purchase of zero-emission vehicles or the promotion of energy efficiency in buildings.
The proposal also introduces limited adjustments to the way Member States can make use of certain flexibilities.
Finally, an additional reserve is created to help Member States meet their new targets. Acting as an insurance policy, this reserve would only become effective if the EU meets its target of reducing net GHG emissions by at least 55% in 2030. The maximum contribution of net removals to reach the -55% target is set at 225 MtCO2Eq by the ‘Climate’ Law.
See the proposal for a regulation: https://bit.ly/3B3DjBO (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)