At the end of the second day of the informal meeting of the European Environment and Climate Ministers (see EUROPE 13328/2) on Tuesday 16 January, Virginijus Sinkevičius, the European Commissioner for the Environment, stressed the importance of the EU’s objective of reducing emissions by 2040, as part of the ‘European Green Deal’.
Focus on the ‘European Green Deal’. During the meeting, specific attention was paid to the EU’s climate ambitions, in particular by “trying to identify the missing links in the ‘Green Deal’ and the unexplored opportunities”, as stated by Alain Maron, Minister for Climate Transition and the Environment for the Brussels-Capital Region, who chaired the meeting.
Mr Sinkevičius also reiterated the importance of the ‘Green Deal’ and the EU’s climate objectives, subjects which are fuelling discussions in the run-up to the elections.
And with good reason: the discussions between EU Ministers took place against a backdrop where, as highlighted at the press conference that followed, public opinion is concerned by fears of a reduction in these ambitions in response to repeated political calls for a regulatory moratorium (see EUROPE 13181/9).
Just transition. To meet the EU’s current climate objectives, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU is focusing on the notion of ‘just transition’, as Commissioner Sinkevičius recalled at the end of these 2 days.
“Citizens need to know why these measures are being taken, what the next steps are and how we are supporting them in this transition”, he explained. And added: “This applies to the regions in particular, because we have such inequality between the different regions. This is going to be the focus of attention and the messages that I hope all politicians will be able to get across to their citizens in the Member States”.
Emission reduction targets. With regard to the 2040 target, the Commission will be presenting a communication and a detailed assessment in February.
Although the discussions between the European Environment and Climate Ministers were not aimed at negotiating a precise percentage, the 2040 target should be set at around 90%, with a view to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
This assessment will also be accompanied by a report on the indicative GHG budget for 2030 and then 2050, as provided for in the European Climate Law.
“The 2040 target will not only reaffirm the EU’s determination to combat climate change and define the post-2030 trajectory, but it will also be extremely important for achieving the 2050 target”, the Commissioner said.
According to Mr Maron, none of the Environment Ministers mentioned lower targets at their meeting, but “there was a shared concern about how to achieve them, because there will be a huge transformation in society over the next decade”.
Commission achievements. When asked about the current Commission’s track record and the EU’s leadership in environmental policies, Mr Sinkevičius was keen to point out such unprecedented flagship measures as the European Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the REPowerEU strategy, while indicating that the Member States retain control over how they implement the ‘European Green Deal’.
“What we’ve done is a major achievement, and I think that if other countries around the world are starting their transition, it’s because the EU was the first to take the plunge”, he concluded. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys and Nithya Paquiry)