The European Parliament supports the European Green Deal but calls for more ambition in reducing emissions

The plenary session of the European Parliament on Wednesday supported the European Green Deal, the roadmap presented in December by the European Commission to get the bloc to reduce its CO2 emissions as much as possible by 2050, but has called for greater ambition in some aspects, especially in the intermediate objectives until mid-century.

Specifically, MEPs have demanded that the EU set itself the goal of reducing its polluting emissions by 2030 by 55%, and not by “at least 50% and towards 55%”, as the document of the Community Executive chaired by Ursula von der Leyen points out.

The resolution, which went ahead with 482 votes in favor, 136 against and 95 abstentions, also advocates establishing an intermediate goal in 2040 “to ensure that progress is made towards the goal of emissions neutrality in 2050,” the institution said in a statement.

In addition, the European Parliament has stressed that the regulations that set higher targets for energy efficiency and renewable energy, including binding targets for each Member State, must be prepared before June 2021.

Another aspect of the European Green Deal that MEPs share with Brussels is the need to design a “carbon adjustment mechanism at the border” compatible with the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), with the aim of avoiding the relocation of companies due to differences in climate ambition from different parts of the world.

The plenary of the European Parliament has also called for the mechanism to ensure a “just” ecological transition to have “adequate funding”. Precisely the European Commission detailed on Tuesday that the so-called Fund for the Just Transition will have an initial budget for the next seven years of 7,500 million, with which it is intended to mobilize at least 100,000 million euros.

The European Green Deal includes a series of legislative initiatives that the Community Executive wants to present over the coming months and years. The European Parliament has warned that it will use its “legislative powers” to modify any proposal that does not meet the level of ambition desired by MEPs.

Source: The Vanguard