Noxious emissions, EU proposes 90% cut to 2040 with flexibility
The Commission's goal is to balance ambition and pragmatism to achieve climate neutrality
From our correspondent Beda Romano
2' min read
2' min read
BRUSSELS - The European Commission today, Wednesday 2 July, confirmed the target of reducing harmful emissions by 90 per cent by 2040. In order to gain the support of the member states, the EU executive has introduced elements of flexibility into its proposal. These include the concept of technological neutrality. Speaking to a group of European newspapers, including Il Sole 24 Ore, Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said: 'The nuclear is part of the solution'.
The target of a 90 per cent reduction in emissions at EU level was already presented some time ago. Today, the European Commission has included it in a legislative proposal that will now have to be negotiated between Parliament and Council (approval by the Member States must be by qualified majority). Aware of the growing doubts in the environmental field, despite the obvious climate change, Brussels has provided for some flexibilities.
First of all, an amount of three percentage points can be generated through EU environmental projects in third countries. Commissioner Hoekstra emphasised that the credits 'must be additional, they must be certifiable, they must be verifiable'. There will also be the possibility to monetise efforts made to reduce emissions - for example by capturing gases underground - on the ETS market. Finally, the Commission proposes flexibility between sectors.
The aim here is to give countries more room for manoeuvre, compensating for delays in specific areas with progress in others. "We need a combination of ambition and pragmatism," added the former foreign and finance minister in the Netherlands. The gesture towards the member countries where the debate against the Green Pact is most heated is clear. The new target, to be measured against 1990 figures, fits in between the 2030 (-55%) and 2050 (climate neutrality) targets.
EU tries to relax environmental rules
.The presence of new flexibilities well reflects the European Commission's attempt to relax the environmental rules, which have been so criticised recently. Commissioner Hoekstra has also proposed in recent months to water down the environmental tariffs, known by the acronym CBAM, by exempting small and medium-sized companies from them. With the new target for 2040, Brussels' aim is thus to address the concerns of some governments and economic sectors, without jeopardising the green philosophy.
