Next week, 'all' eyes in Brussels and the surrounding area will be focused on Frans Timmermans, the Vice-President of the European Commission and responsible for climate policy. On Wednesday he will present a package of twelve bills to reduce average CO2 emissions in the EU by 2030 percent in 55 compared to 1990. The appropriately named Fit for 55 package is eagerly awaited, because the intended measures will have consequences for both companies and citizens.
It is reported that legal texts and figures are still being tinkered with and even within the committee there are not all on the same page. Companies, governments, environmental or industry lobbyists and parliamentarians also have their own interests and ideas about how far the ambitions should go. The proposals are therefore expected to provoke many reactions. For some it will be too much, for others too little, too slow or too fast.
In any case, from the concepts that have been leaked out, life seems to be getting more expensive for companies and consumers who do not switch to 'green'. Petrol and diesel prices will rise, and probably so will energy bills. Cars with a combustion engine, including hybrid ones, are gradually being phased out in favor of electric cars. From 2035, new petrol or diesel cars would no longer be allowed to be sold. The plans say there will be a charging station every 150 kilometers on the highways.
Sustainable energy such as wind turbines and solar panels is becoming more and more the norm. By 2030, the share of renewable energy must be at least around 40 percent, while the target is currently 32 percent. Biomass as a sustainable method for energy generation also remains permitted, but under stricter conditions.
Various sectors that are now, partly exempt, will have to pay for the right to emit CO2, such as shipping and aviation. Brussels also wants a tax on kerosene, for the time being within the EU. Harmful emissions from road transport and from buildings are also restricted through an emissions trading system. The proceeds from this trade will be used to fill a social compensation fund to subsidize the purchase of electric cars and renovations of houses. Products such as cement and steel from countries with less strict environmental requirements become more expensive due to a CO2 tax 'at the border'.
Timmermans also presents a 'forest strategy'. He wants to plant millions more trees in the EU, among other things to absorb more CO2.
The Member States are naturally expected to make efforts to enable the transition to a more sustainable society. The Netherlands will have to take serious action to switch more quickly to renewable energy, for example. Other additional measures may also be necessary, because some of Timmermans' plans have less effect in the Netherlands than in other EU countries.
Photo: By European Parliament from EU – Hearing of Frans Timmermans (the Netherlands) – Executive Vice President-Designate – European Green Deal
