The European Commission on March 4 adopted a proposal for a first-ever European Climate Law, which would require EU institutions and member states to take specific measures to meet the EU’s 2050 zero-emissions goal.
A March 4 release announcing the proposed law outlines steps to accomplish the 2050 goal and says the law would include measures to track progress and make adjustments when needed.
The Climate Law would also increase the emissions reduction target for 2030. “By September 2020, the Commission will present an impact assessed plan to increase the EU’s greenhouse gas emission reduction target for 2030 to at least 50 percent — and towards 55 percent — compared with 1990 levels, in a responsible way," the draft says. "The Commission will propose to amend this Regulation accordingly and by June 2021, review and propose to revise, where necessary, all relevant related policy instruments.”
The draft law will now be reviewed by the European Parliament, the European Council, and the Economic and Social Committee and Committee of the Regions.
The commission also announced a public consultation on the new European Climate Pact. Under that initiative, citizens would have the opportunity to help develop future climate actions and grassroots activities, among other things. Comments will be accepted during the next 12 weeks.
The commission started work March 4 on the publication of inception impact assessments regarding the future of a carbon border tax, and is also reviewing the energy tax directive, which has been deemed outdated and no longer in line with EU climate and energy goals.
“We are acting today to make the EU the world's first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The Climate Law is the legal translation of our political commitment, and sets us irreversibly on the path to a more sustainable future. It is the heart of the European Green Deal. It offers predictability and transparency for European industry and investors. And it gives direction to our green growth strategy and guarantees that the transition will be gradual and fair,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in the release.
Also on March 4, seven European energy giants released a joint letter to Frans Timmermans, executive vice president for the European Green Deal, calling for climate neutrality by 2050 across all policy areas in the EU, and for the commission to increase its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for 2030 to 55 percent. Coincidentally, the letter also calls for the adoption of an ambitious EU climate law.
The companies praised the commission’s 2050 long-term climate strategy, including the European Green Deal, but expressed the need for predictability. To help make the 2050 climate neutrality goal a reality, they recommended eight key principles they say should be included in a climate law. Among other things, they suggested that governments stop providing subsidies to projects that are not in line with the 2050 climate goal, and enact tax and tariff regimes that more closely align with the climate impact of consumers' energy usage.