Low Carbon Roadmap

The European Parliament today adopted a report on EU climate change policy to 2050, endorsing the European Commission's 'Low Carbon Roadmap', which calls on the EU to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030, 60% by 2040 and 80% by 2050. The report also included a call to set aside EU emissions permits (1), with a view to tackling problems with the EU's emissions trading scheme. After the vote, Green climate co-spokesperson Satu Hassi said:

"The EP has today endorsed the 'Low Carbon Roadmap', setting out the future direction for EU climate policy, with its emissions trajectory and milestones for emissions reductions to 2050. With Poland holding all other EU governments hostage in Council, the EP has at least shown that EU climate policy is not at standstill."

Green climate co-spokesperson Bas Eickhout (Netherlands), who was EP rapporteur for the EU's 2020 emissions target added:

"While the EP is willing to endorse broad long term commitments, it is regrettable that centre-right MEPs are not willing to commit to the necessary concrete measures to address the current problems with the EU's 2020 climate strategy. It is clear that the EU's current 20% emissions target for 2020 is obsolete. It is holding Europe back, undermining the EU's emissions trading scheme, and acting as a barrier to proactive emissions reductions and investment in green technologies, and hence job creation. Endorsing the emissions trajectory in the roadmap de facto means recognising the need for more ambitious emissions reductions by 2020 but we regret that the EP was not willing to explicitly call for the EU to step up to a 30% reduction target.

"It is also regrettable that centre-right MEPs wanted to use this vote on the roadmap as a vehicle to push nuclear power and the myth of clean coal. For this reason, the Greens abstained in the final vote."

Commenting on proposals to address the problems with the EU emissions trading scheme, Bas Eickhout continued:

"It is however positive that the EP has called for action to shore up the faltering emissions trading scheme. The current low carbon price is failing to provide an incentive to businesses to invest in technologies that actually reduce emissions. MEPs have recognised this and called on the Commission to propose withholding some of the glut of emissions permits that is depressing the carbon price and causing the ETS to malfunction (1). The Commission must come forward with proposals to this end without delay."

(1) The report as adopted included a call for EU emissions allowances to be set aside with a view to tackling the over-supply of emissions permits that is depressing the carbon price.