Presented on Wednesday, 14 July, the package of 13 legislative proposals put forward by the European Commission to achieve its climate goals (‘Fit for 55’ package) seems to be the source of tensions within the EU institution, going as far as to divide European commissioners, according to the Financial Times.
Without actually voting against the package, six commissioners thus reportedly raised objections to the plan during the meeting of the College of Commissioners that preceded the presentation of the proposals.
They have in their sights the creation of a new emissions trading system (ETS) for road transport and buildings (see EUROPE 12762/1) as well as the proposal on CO2 emission standards for new cars and vans (see EUROPE 12762/3).
Moreover, Commissioner for Budget Johannes Hahn voted against the package during this same meeting, confirmed European Commission Chief Spokesperson Eric Mamer on Thursday, 15 July. A rather rare event for it to warrant a mention.
When asked about this during a press conference on Thursday, European Commission Executive Vice-President for the Green Deal Frans Timmermans felt that it was normal to have debates and “difficult discussions” given the importance of the topic.
“Sometimes it gets hot in the kitchen. But it’s the meal that you serve up that citizens are interested in at the end of the day, not how you cooked it,” he notably declared. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)