PR | EU climate ministers have reached an important milestone in the climate transition
After lengthy and difficult negotiations, EU climate ministers agreed on a set of legal texts to reduce our collective impact on climate change. There was a lot at stake. Faced with the urgent need for a collective and solidarity response to the increasingly visible damage caused by global warming, the European Union had to take action to protect its citizens.
The package of measures adopted last night will now be discussed in the European Parliament. It includes the establishment of a system for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from non-industrial sectors. The new mandatory reduction target is -47% between 2005 and 2030, whereas the current target is approximately -15%. In order to achieve this goal, a new tool is under development at EU level, specifically for the transport and construction sectors, which are the main sources of non-industrial GHG emissions. This instrument is linked to the establishment of a European Social Fund which should help the people most vulnerable to rising energy prices. Another step forward is a revised GHG emissions trading system for industry and electricity generation based on fossil fuels. This should allow industrial facilities to move away from the use of oil and gas faster. Other regulations or guidelines have been negotiated: new and enhanced standards for automobiles, protection of forest and agricultural carbon sinks, etc.
Philippe Henry, Walloon Minister of Climate, Energy, Mobility and Infrastructure, who held the Belgian seat in the rotation, and Zakia Khattabi, Federal Minister for Climate, as assessor, took part in these negotiations.
Philippe Henry stated: "This is a historic decision. The step taken by the Council of European Climate Ministers should make it possible to implement measures that will make our changing society more resilient. In response to the climate emergency and its related crises, including energy price crisis, we had to put in place social support measures to get rid of fossil fuels.
"This is another important milestone in the implementation of the EU’s strategy for carbon neutrality. This strategy is based on two pillars: responsibility and solidarity. On the one hand, certain sectors that have been exempted until now (aviation, maritime) will have to participate in the collective effort. However, mechanisms to protect our industries such as the border tax and the social fund for our citizens, have been introduced. In my opinion, there was no other way” concludes Zakia Khattabi.
