The European Environment and Climate Ministers met for the first day of an informal meeting under the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union on Monday 15 January, to begin discussions on risk assessment for adaptation to climate change (see other article), a just transition and the 2040 emissions reduction target.
“We are looking forward today to building on the momentum of COP28, to thinking now about the next two COPs, about what Europe needs to do to be more ambitious (...) and also how to provide the necessary funding to achieve this”, explained Ireland’s Minister for the Environment and Climate, Eamon Ryan, on his arrival at the Palais d’Egmont in Brussels.
For the first time since the Dubai Conference last December (see EUROPE 13313/16), the European Ministers discussed the EU’s climate ambitions for the coming years.
These ambitions are governed by the objective of carbon neutrality by 2050. The first informal discussions between Environment Ministers are aimed at defining the interim target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, which is due to be assessed by the Commission on 6 February.
2040 Target
A target of at least 90% reduction in emissions compared to 1990 was presented by the European Commissioner for Climate Action, Wopke Hoekstra, last October (see EUROPE 13281/14), to continue the 55% reduction effort agreed by 2030.
For countries like Germany, the target should be over 90% by 2040.
“The German Constitutional Court has itself imposed strict targets on Germany. On a net basis, this corresponds to a reduction target of 91% by 2040. This is also the criterion by which we view the European objective”, explained Sven Giegold, German State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
For Bulgarian Minister Julian Popov, this ambition can go beyond 90%, not only for climate reasons, but also to strengthen European competitiveness. “This will give us a target that will definitely increase European competitiveness ”, he said.
The challenge of European competitiveness
Mr Popov stressed the importance of linking climate objectives to European competitiveness. “People think that if our ambition is lower we will be more competitive, that’s simply not true”, he explained, pointing out that modern technologies linked to the green transition are dominated by China.
In his view, a solution combining a reduction target of over 90% with rapid technological development would be a competitive advantage.
“We have to explain that the higher ambition is very clearly linked to European competitiveness”, he affirmed, stressing the importance of involving industry in these discussions to avoid misunderstandings around the ‘European Green Deal’. It would also mitigate calls from some Member States and MEPs for a “regulatory pause” in environmental legislation (see EUROPE 13181/9).
Hungary’s Secretary of State for Environmental Affairs and the Circular Economy, Anikó Raisz, was more cautious about this objective: “We believe that realistic results must be achieved by 2040. (...) Balance is the key issue, because good results can only be achieved if everyone is involved”.
A just transition
For Urszula Sara Zielińska, Secretary of State at the Polish Ministry for Climate and the Environment, it is vital to achieve the 90% target. “If this target is agreed, we will be at the same time emphasizing the need to help countries like Poland and many other countries in Eastern and Central Europe to look after the social part of delivering such an ambitious target”.
She recalled the importance attached to the notion of a “just transition”, one of the priorities of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council, which was also the subject of discussions between Ministers during this first day of informal meetings.
In the case of countries like Poland, “we need to make sure that transition from coal based countries like mine is a just transition. We cannot leave people behind”, added the Polish Secretary of State. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry and Pauline Denys)