Climate

A Greens/EFA take on the plenary session

19-23 October

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Digital Services Act, Artificial Intelligence, deforestation, gender equality in EU’s foreign and security policy, the state of the Energy Union, the Energy Charter Treaty, serious security threats through the sale of EU passports and visas and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Energy Charter Treaty

Quote from Anna Cavazzini MEP

The Energy Charter Treaty is incompatible with the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal. We call for a fundamental reform of the Treaty. In the negotiations for its modernisation, the European Commission must work to align the Treaty with the climate objectives of the Paris Agreement and the Green Deal – this means: we must end the protection of fossil fuel investments and remove the highly controversial Investor-State-Dispute-Settlement provisions. If these targets are not achievable, the EU must withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty.

#EUCO

Quote from Ska Keller

Greens/EFA Co-President Ska Keller comments on ongoing EUCO:

Commission only scratches the surface

Methane Strategy

Today, the European Commission has just presented its new Methane Strategy, which does not live up to promise of greater climate protection under the European Green Deal. The Commission itself writes that methane emissions must be reduced by 35% to achieve 55% fewer greenhouse gas e...

Renovation Wave Strategy Communication

Info mail

The European Parliament adopted the Cuffe report* on “maximising the energy efficiency potential of the EU building stock” by large majority. The report calls for energy efficiency policies to be far more ambitious in order to ensure effectively fighting energy poverty, stepping up climate action, and foster sustainable recovery.

Greens/EFA plenary session debriefing

4-9 October

Greens/EFA priorities for the plenary week included the climate law, rule of law and fundamental rights mechanism, rule of law and fundamental rights in Bulgaria, multiannual financial framework (MFF) and the rule of law, reinforcing the youth guarantee, forest strategy, approval of McGuinness and Dombrovskis, fight against money laundering following the FinCEN files.

Huge success for the climate

European Climate Law

Members of the European Parliament have voted in favour of a 60% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030, supporting the call of the Environment Committee and going beyond the European Commission's 55% climate target. The European Parliament will now enter into negotiations with the Council and Commission with a strong position.

Plenary Flash October I 2020

Greens/EFA priorities 04-09 October

During this week plenary session, the European Parliament will debate and vote on the climate law, the rule of law mechanism, the Multiannual Financial Framework, the forest strategy, the fight against money laundering, ...

The European climate targets by 2030

The Paris Agreement was signed by 195 countries in 2015. They all agreed on the core objective of keeping the global average temperature rise well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. Five years later, not one of those 195 countries is in line with its target. We need rapid and radical action if we want to be serious about the 1.5°C objective.

Farm to fork strategy

Agriculture is both hugely responsible and affected by climate change. The food we eat, how it’s made and where it comes from plays an important role in the system change that we are fighting for, since our global food system accounts for nearly one third of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Commission impact assessment

Climate

"The European Commission must not play around with numbers to calculate the climate target. Tricks in the calculation of such a vital target damages the climate and undermines trust. We need concrete steps to halt climate collapse such as phasing out coal by 2030 and using 100% renewable energy" said Bas Eickhout

MEPs vote for emissions reductions in shipping

Environment

Today, MEPs have voted for shipping to be included in the European emissions trading scheme (ETS) from 1 January 2022 and shipping companies will be obliged to reduce their CO2 emissions by at least 40% by 2030. Until now, maritime transport has been excluded from the ETS.