Latest negotiations have started to set EU target ahead of April 22 summit



MEPs and representatives of the Twenty-Seven are starting the last negotiations on the climate law before the international summit scheduled for April 22. (Drawing) – SOPA Images / SIPA

Last chance to find a compromise. MEPs and representatives of the Twenty-Seven began final negotiations on Tuesday in order to agree on the climate law which sets the EU’s CO2 emissions target for 2030. Talks which only take place between two days of the international climate summit.

In November, the EU member states agreed to aim for a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions on the continent by 2030 compared to 1990, against a current target of 40%. A figure aligned with a proposal from the European Commission, in order to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050. But the European Parliament, which must endorse this figure in a “climate law”, calls for a reduction in emissions of at least 60%, carried out in each country individually. Tuesday’s meeting, which began around 3 p.m. according to a parliamentary source, is trying to overcome months of blockages.

“This is the political moment to have an agreement”

“It will probably end in the middle of the night. Everyone is aware that this is the political moment to have an agreement, ”underlines Pascal Canfin, President Renew (Liberals) of the Environment committee in Parliament. Time is running out for the EU to present a united front at the April 22 climate summit under the aegis of US President Joe Biden, where Washington will unveil its own revised 2030 target.

“If we miss this deadline, we miss a moment of international political exposure”, and in the process, “the balance of power of Parliament will deteriorate” vis-à-vis governments, worries Pascal Canfin.

States “do not seem to want to move an inch”

“We need a quick agreement to show where Europe stands, in the face of positive developments in China and the United States,” said Peter Liese, EPP MEP (pro-European right). But Peter Liese also indicates that he wants to preserve jobs in “industries with high energy consumption” and supports a “net” reduction objective, which includes offsetting CO2 emissions, by reforestation for example. At the risk of thus mechanically reducing the actual reduction required in polluting sectors, which is criticized by environmental NGOs but also by green MEPs.

The States “do not seem to want to budge an inch, and are bracing themselves on the proposal of -55% net, which would actually mean -52.8%. It’s not ambitious, it’s not exactly sending man to the moon, ”laments Michael Bloss, Green MEP.



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