Forming an EPP, S&D, Renew Europe and Greens/EFA majority, MEPs on the European Parliament’s Environment Committee (ENVI) adopted on Monday 10 November, by 49 votes to 33 with 6 abstentions, an alternative compromise amendment to the report by Ondřej Knotek (PfE, Czech) on the target of a 90% reduction in the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. The majority is largely based on the position of the EU Council.
This position, aimed at amending European Climate Law to include this 2040 target, was approved on 5 November, following lengthy negotiations between European environment ministers (see EUROPE 13746/1). Parallel negotiations in Parliament have been delayed, precisely so as to be able to follow the agenda of the EU Council, as the EPP wished.
As Renew Europe coordinator Pascal Canfin (French) explained to the press, this European Parliament compromise does not represent an ENVI committee report “as such”, since it was found and validated “at the highest level” by the majority group leaders.
Compared to the EU Council’s text, the Parliament’s compromise contains additions concerning the inclusion of international carbon credits. In particular, it states that these must be “based on credible and transformative activities in partner countries whose climate objectives and policies are compatible with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and are subject to solid guarantees”. These guarantees relate to the integrity and transparency of these credits and respect for human rights.
The text also specifies that the flexibility given to Member States to use international credits to achieve “up to 5% of their post-2030 targets and efforts” only applies to sectors “that are not regulated by the EU ETS”.
If the Parliament’s position is validated at the plenary session on 13 November, the co-legislators will be able to begin inter-institutional negotiations and hope to reach a provisional agreement before the end of the Danish Presidency of the EU Council at the end of December.
Following the final vote in committee, which was also supported by The Left (55 votes in favour, 32 against, no abstentions), the ECR group publicly announced that it would table amendments before the plenary to reject the compromise. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)