The European Commission is tightening measures to achieve the climate neutrality target in 2050. In ten years, by 2030, greenhouse gas emissions must have fallen by at least 55 percent. Next week, committee chairman Ursula von der Leyen will officially announce this plan, several sources confirmed to NOS.
A study conducted by the team of European Commissioner Frans Timmermans shows that the European Union as a whole needs to step up its game. According to the analyses, that could also be the case. To date, the goal has been to emit at least 2030 percent less by 40, but Timmermans said when he took office that he was aiming for a reduction of 50 to 55 percent. The Dutch Vice-President of the European Commission did not want to take that measure immediately, because he first wanted to wait for the results of the study.
And they are here now.
The target will be included in a special climate law. The plans still need to be approved by government leaders, who will discuss them at a summit in October. The European Parliament must also approve the tightening.
European leaders agreed at the summit in early July that approximately 30 percent of the new budget will be used for climate-friendly projects and reducing emissions. There is a lot of money available for projects in Central and Eastern European countries.
Protests
It is not yet known what the tightening will mean in practice. There have been protests in recent months. The car industry wants to be spared, and sectors such as construction and agriculture also prefer not to have the targets tightened.
In the European Parliament, the Greens in particular argue for sailing even closer to the wind. According to the faction, emissions must be reduced by 65 percent in the coming years, otherwise the objective of 'limiting global warming' cannot be achieved.
It turned out at the end of last year a report from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency that the Netherlands is not achieving the target with current policy. According to the planning agency's calculations, our country can reduce emissions by 43 to 48 percent. What is disappointing is that the price of natural gas fell, while sales of less fuel-efficient cars (SUVs) increased.
Kind of speech from the throne
Timmermans' plans will be formally announced next Wednesday. Then President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her State of the Union, in which the European Commission will announce its plans for the new political year. Due to corona, this is happening in Brussels this time and not in Strasbourg.
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