On Tuesday 9 September, the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) published the 406 amendments to the proposal for a regulation amending the European Climate Law. Presented by the European Commission on 2 July, it targets a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 compared to 1990 levels.
The text’s rapporteur, Ondřej Knotek (PfE, Czech), proposed rejecting the text, stating that “the urgency of adopting a binding target for 2040 before COP30 is not justified” and denouncing an “ideological” approach that could weaken European competitiveness.
MEPs from the ECR, ENS and PfE tabled several amendments supporting this rejection. Amendment 1, tabled by Anna Zalewska (ECR, Polish) and around fifteen members of her group, proposes that the text be abandoned, being too costly for industry. Amendment 2, by Anja Arndt (ENS, German), argues that the 2040 target would threaten economic and social stability.
Amendment 3, signed by Italian members of the ECR, also supports rejection.
Other amendments seek to reduce the scope of the text. Amendment 172, tabled by Anna Zalewska, proposes that the 2040 target should remain purely “indicative”.
Several amendments tabled by MEPs from the PfE group, such as amendment 174, seek to reduce the European Commission’s obligations by removing the reference to achieving the 2040 target in its future legislative proposals, thereby limiting the monitoring and implementation of climate targets.
On the centre and left of the Chamber, MEPs from S&D, the Greens/EFA, Renew Europe and The Left tabled amendments to consolidate this ambition. Amendment 175 by Lena Schilling (Greens/EFA, German) insists that the Commission take account of the elements needed to achieve the 2040 target in its future legislative proposals. Amendment 182, tabled by the S&D group, proposes to remove any possibility of using international carbon credits. Catarina Martins (The Left, Portuguese) defends a similar position with amendment 183.
International credits. The Commission is proposing that, from 2036, up to 3% of 1990 emissions can be offset by credits from Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. However, while the Greens, S&D andThe Left want to avoid it, several EPP and ECR MEPs are seeking to extend it or change the timetable.
With amendment 191, the Italian MEPs from the ECR group are calling for the cap to be raised to 5% from 2033, with limited use in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS).
And the five Polish EPP MEPs (Adam Jarubas, Ewa Kopacz, Bartosz Arłukowicz, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz and Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska), with amendment 192, are proposing to authorise increased use, up to 10% from 2031.
Pascal Canfin (Renew Europe, French), with amendment 189, suggests bringing forward the date of entry into force to 2031, while strictly controlling the use: the Commission would become the central purchaser of these credits and they could not be used in the ‘ETS’.
The ENVI Committee is due to examine these proposals in the coming weeks, before a vote in committee on 23 September.
Amendments: https://aeur.eu/f/ig2; https://aeur.eu/f/ig3 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)