The EU is committed to becoming the first climate-neutral bloc in the world by 2050. If this sounds ambitious, it’s because it really is. In fact, when European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen launched the European Green Deal in November 2019, she called it “Europe’s man on the moon moment.” That is the level of importance being given to climate change in Europe.
The EU’s Green Deal is the roadmap with actions for making our economy sustainable. The bottom line goals are boosting the efficient use of resources by moving to a clean, circular economy, restoring biodiversity, and cutting pollution.
The EU will be climate neutral in 2050 – a European Climate Law under discussion in the European Parliament aims to turn the political commitment for no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 into a legal obligation, and a trigger for investment.
Reaching this target will require action by all sectors of our economy, including investing in environmentally-friendly technologies, supporting industry to innovate, rolling out cleaner, cheaper and healthier forms of private and public transport, decarbonising the energy sector, ensuring buildings are more energy efficient, and working with international partners to improve global environmental standards.
Why is an EU response important?
The European Environment Agency says the EU is the world's third biggest greenhouse gases emitter after China and the US. Common mitigation efforts are key as climate change affects all EU countries, even if not in the same way. The Mediterranean region can expect more heat extremes and less rain, while countries in the continental region face higher risk of river floods and forest fires.
The European Parliament had already declared a climate emergency back in November 2019. Within the current context of COVID-19 and Europe’s recovery- while some governments consider it might hinder economic recovery after the crisis, other governments want more ambitious targets, and the European Commission maintains that the European Green Deal is the growth strategy that can help Europe's economic recovery while at the same time addressing the global climate emergency. The Green Deal has become even more important, as the Commission underlined how the proposed recovery package to tackle the economic recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic – Next Generation EU – will be closely interlinked with the European Green Deal.
The COVID-19 recovery plan proposed for the EU – worth €750bn – has the Green Deal at its core. It allocates 25 per cent of the EU’s budget to climate investments and research and innovation for initiatives such as renovation of buildings and infrastructure, cleaner transport and logistics, fighting climate change, and renewable energy projects. The ultimate aim is to stimulate and relaunch economies based on a greener, social and digital approach for a more sustainable future. Other concrete proposals within the European Green Deal context include a European Green Deal Investment plan, a circular economy action plan, the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, Farm to Fork Strategy and the Just Transition Mechanism.
In its June plenary session, the European Parliament approved a framework that determines which activities can be considered green and sustainable. This establishes a common classification system across the EU, provide business and investors with clarity, and encourages an increase in private sector funding for the transition towards climate neutrality.
The Investment Plan – presented just a month after the European Green Deal was made public – is a detailed proposal of how the Green Deal will be financed. Designed to attract at least €1 trillion worth of public and private investment over the next decade, the will source half of the money from the EU budget through various programmes – such as agricultural funds, Cohesion Fund, Horizon Europe, Life programme and Cohesion Fun. This would in turn attract an additional €114bn in co-financing by EU countries as well as around €300bn worth of private and public investment through InvestEU and ETS funds, and another €100bn through the new Just Transition Mechanism.
Driven by the ambition to make sustainable products that last, the new EU Circular Economy Action Plan includes various initiatives along the entire lifecycle of products, including providing incentives for product-as-a-service, where companies will keep the ownership and responsibility for the product throughout its lifecycle; phasing out single-use products; driving new business models to boost sorting, reuse and recycling of textiles; and introduce measures for waste prevention and reduction, increasing recycled content, minimising waste exports outside EU. An EU model for separate collection and labelling of products will be launched.
The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 is aimed at improving and preserving biodiversity in Europe. In January, the European Parliament called for an ambitious strategy to address the main drivers of biodiversity loss, and set legally binding targets, including conservation of at least 30 per cent of natural areas and 10 per cent of the long-term budget devoted to biodiversity. Commission responded with a new 2030 strategy in May, as part of the Green Deal. For the Chair of the Parliament’s Environment Committee, MEP Pascal Canfin, the commitments here to cut pesticide use with 50 per cent, and for 25 per cent of farm products to be organic by 2030, as well as the 30 per cent conservation target, need to be transformed into EU law and implemented.
Production and consumption of food – together with the waste strategy – has a significant impact on the environment. The Farm to Fork strategy aims to create a sustainable food system in the EU that safeguards food security and protects people and nature. The strategy aims at: 50 per cent reduction in the use and risk of pesticides; at least 20 per cent reduction in the use of fertilisers; 50 per cent reduction in sales of antimicrobials used for farmed animals and aquaculture; and 25 per cent of agricultural land to be used for organic farming.
MEP Miriam Dalli, who is a member of the EP’s ENVI Committee, said that “as
the vice president of the Socialists and Democrats Group on the European Green Deal, I want to make sure that in the coming months we manage to work on a progressive agenda that can future proof our societies.”
“This can only be done if we plan our policies on three main pillars: economic recovery, climate resilience and social protection. All three go together hand in hand if we want to have a successful green transition that is endorsed by citizens across the European Union.
“In times where certain conservative forces will find it convenient to try and sideline the Green Deal agenda, we require courage from the different institutions to make sure that legislation that forms part of the Green Deal is prioritised. I will be working for legislations that deliver concrete results with ambitious aims.
“This is no longer the time for cosmetic changes. As S&D, one of our main priorities at this point in time is the Climate Law. We want to make sure that we deliver a Climate Law with clear targets and deadlines for all industries. We want to see targeted and detailed plans for sector specific green energy transitions with consistent monitoring and an increased level of accountability.
“The science is extremely clear and member states that are behind on their climate commitments must catch up. We will be aiming at an emissions reduction target for 2030 that is based on science and that takes into account citizens’ health, their safety, the just transition and our continent’s competitiveness. Moving towards climate neutrality provides in itself an opportunity for new economic sectors that should not remain untapped. If we don’t tap into these new sectors, other continents will take the lead.”
For MEP Roberta Metsola, a substitute Member in the ENVI committee, the economies of the future must be centred around sustainability and circular models of growth.
“Governments must look beyond the next election to the next generations. The time of short-termism and boom and bust economics has ended.
“That is what the EU's Green Deal is about – the shift away from a linear to a circular economy. This is beneficial not only to our environment but makes economic sense. It creates jobs and generates new long-term spheres of economic activity by responding to the challenges of our time and meeting our obligations to the youth of today and all who come after.
“The conflict between economy and environment is an imagined one. The Green Deal is a blueprint for sustainable growth, one that will help our economy become more competitive and resilient, relieve the pressure on our resources, and promote innovation.
“The Green Deal is an opportunity to address long-standing structural issues by setting ambitious but achievable targets. Our job in the European Parliament is to ensure countries like Malta are given the support needed to reach these targets. We also have to make sure that targets are not just a quick headline but are achievable and attainable.
“It is down to us to ensure that Malta's businesses, industries and consumers can avail of these opportunities. I will do my part to ensure that those impacted by these new plans are included in their design. By channelling funds through EU programmes that put the Green Deal at the heart of the recovery, we have an opportunity to transform our transport sector, increase our use of renewable energy sources, look after our food producers and move towards a more circular economy.
“More needs to be done, we are the last generation of politicians and leaders that can turn the tide and ensure that future generations have a planet and a strong economy - it is time for lasting change. Malta and Gozo need to do more. Our economy can grow further, more sustainably, if we are smarter – we can increase prosperity for everyone while making Malta the first single-use-plastic-free state in Europe at the same time."
The Climate Law proposal is expected to be put to a vote in Parliament’s ENVI Committee in September, in an important step towards implementing the European Green Deal.
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