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+++ Green Deal +++
The Commission’s “Fit for 55” package (Ed/Hartmut Bühl, Paris) On 14th July, the European Commission adopted a package of proposals to prepare the EU climate, energy, land use, transport and taxation policies to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. In its Communication “Fit for 55”: delivering the EU’s 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality”, the Commission proposes the legislative tools to deliver on the targets agreed in the European Climate Law and to enable the necessary acceleration of greenhouse gas emission reductions in the next decade. The Commission’s package combines a large set of interdependent measures: The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) puts a price on carbon and lowers the cap on emissions from certain economic sectors every year. The Effort Sharing Regulation assigns strengthened emissions reduction targets to each Member State for buildings, road and domestic maritime transport, agriculture, waste and small
The Berlaymont building, headquartres of the European Commission, lit in green
industries.
to mark the European Green Deal
photo: European Union, 2021/EC – Audiovisual Service/Lukasz Kobus
The Regulation on Land Use, Forest-
The ReFuelEU Aviation initiative will
technologies and removing outdated
ry and Agriculture sets an overall EU
oblige fuel suppliers to blend increasing
exemptions and reduced rates that cur-
target for carbon removals by natural
levels of sustainable aviation fuels in
rently encourage the use of fossil fuels.
sinks, equivalent to 310m tonnes of
jet fuel taken onboard at EU airports,
CO2 emissions by 2030.
including synthetic low carbon fuels,
A new Carbon Border Adjustment Mech-
known as e-fuels.
anism will put a carbon price on imports
The Renewable Energy Directive will
of a targeted selection of products to
set an increased target to produce 40%
The FuelEU Maritime initiative will
ensure that ambitious climate action in
of our energy from renewable sources
stimulate the uptake of sustainable
Europe does not lead to ‘carbon leak-
by 2030.
maritime fuels and zero-emission tech-
age’. This will ensure that European
nologies by setting a maximum limit on
emission reductions contribute to a
The Energy Efficiency Directive will set
the greenhouse gas content of energy
global emissions decline, instead of
a more ambitious binding annual target
used by ships calling at European ports.
pushing carbon-intensive production
for reducing energy use in the EU through
outside Europe.
stronger CO2 emissions standards for
The revision of the Energy Taxation
cars and vans with a revised Alterna-
Directive proposes to align the taxa-
The Commission has also proposed a
tive Fuels Infrastructure Regulation to
tion of energy products with EU energy
new Social Climate Fund that will sup-
complement emissions trading.
and climate policies, promoting clean
port EU citizens most affected or at risk of energy or mobility poverty. The objective is
“
to help mitigate the costs for those most
This is the make-or-break decade in the fight against the climate and biodiversity crises. The European Union has set ambitious targets and today we present how we can meet them.” Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal
exposed to changes. The fund will provide €2,2bn over 7 years in funding for renovation of buildings, access to zero and low emission mobility, or even income support. Furthermore, public buildings must also be renovated to use more renewable energy and to be more energy efficient.
Web https://bit.ly/3BjPkTP
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