On Tuesday 14 March, the European Parliament approved in plenary session (486 votes in favour, 132 against and 10 abstentions) the interinstitutional agreement of 8 November 2022 on the revision of the climate Effort Sharing Regulation (see EUROPE 13060/6).
The revised text increases the greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target for 2030 from 30% to 40%, compared to 2005 levels, in sectors that had not been included in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS). These binding targets and the annual emissions allowances (AEA) for each Member State are based on GDP per capita.
In a plenary debate on Monday, shadow rapporteur Javi Lopez (S&D, Spanish) called the regulation “essential”. “Thank you Jessica, effort sharing is a key element, because it will regulate 60% of greenhouse gas emissions”, he told rapporteur Jessica Polfjärd (EPP, Swedish). Silvia Sardone (ID, Italian), also shadow rapporteur, however denounced these measures as unfair: “They will sacrifice productive sectors, companies, workers (...). We are going to see relocation, favouring big polluters, like China”. On the other hand, Silvia Modig (The Left, Italy) believes that “in this, the Member States will be able to ensure that the energy transition is sufficiently social”.
After the vote, Jessica Polfjärd was convinced: “We take a major step forward. The EPP group wanted all EU members to contribute in a fair way, and these new rules ensure that”. For her, this text takes the EU in a direction that is “the world champion of a competitive and effective climate agenda”. Margrete Auken (Greens/EFA, Danish), “disappointed”, only partly shares this opinion: “We fought for more ambition” she said, clarifying that “we are pleased to have reached a compromise that strengthens the Commission’s proposal, including a more strict pathway for emission reductions”.
Read the text: https://aeur.eu/f/5rz (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)