Brussels – Climate action will be ramped up as part of a European Green Deal announced by President-elect Ursula von der Leyen, who has set out her political guidelines for the 2019-2024 Commission.
The Green Deal aims to make Europe the world’s first climate neutral continent, and is composed of a number of ideas for legislative action. These include:
- The extension of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to the maritime, traffic and construction sectors
- A revision to the Energy Taxation Directive to help boost the use of sustainable energy
- A Carbon Border Tax to avoid carbon leakage
- A New Industrial Strategy to decarbonise energy-intensive industries
- A New Circular Economy Action Plan
- Record investment into cutting-edge research and innovation, and technology uptake, through Horizon Europe
- A Sustainable Europe Investment Plan, aiming to support €1 trillion investment in the next decade
- Transforming parts of the European Investment Bank into Europe’s climate bank
- A Biodiversity Strategy and ‘Farm to fork’ strategy for sustainable food
- Greater investment into environmental protection, and tackling plastic waste.
Carbon-neutrality by 2050 will be enshrined in EU legislation by a new European Climate Law. Ambition will be further raised by increasing the EU’s carbon reduction target for 2030 towards 55%.
Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans will coordinate the work on the European Green Deal, and will also manage climate action policy, supported by the Directorate-General for Climate Action.
You can read more in the strategy document ‘A Union that strives for more’
