The European Commission Wednesday proposed a mammoth package of new laws to set the EU on course to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030 and reach climate neutrality by 2050.
The legislative package is aimed at increasing the cost of using polluting fuels and entails a massive revamp of how people drive, insulate their homes, produce things like steel and cement, and manage their forests and land.
One of the headline announcements would end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035. It also sets higher targets for energy efficiency, renewables and renovations; expands the EU’s carbon market to cover maritime shipping and tightens requirements for the power and industry sector; sets up a separate emissions trading system for the road transport and buildings sectors; and slaps a new carbon border levy on polluting imports.
Brussels will also set up a social fund to shield poor and vulnerable households from rising fuel prices, amid concerns about the political implications. Many of the proposals have already run into resistance from governments and civil society worried about the impact of rising fuel prices and a potential public backlash.
“Our current fossil fuel economy has reached its limits. We know we have to move to a new model, one that is powered by innovation,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters today.
“Europe is now the very first continent that presents a comprehensive architecture to meet its climate objectives. Our package aims to combine the reduction of emissions with measures that preserve nature and put jobs and social balance at the heart of this transformation.”
The Commission will now have to defend its position in negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament that will determine how the EU implements the laws.
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