A critical blow to Europe's climate policy
Last week marked a turning point - the consensus is gone, industry is turning against the new EU goal for 2040.
The EU Commission intends to stick to its rigid climate targets – a 90 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2040 compared to 1990 levels, according to the announcement from Brussels.
However, for the first time, part of the effort – up to three percent – will be outsourced abroad. In doing so, the EU is acknowledging that it will not be able to achieve its ultimate goal – climate neutrality by 2050 – on its own.
The real blow, however, is taking place behind the scenes. Germany, France and Poland are not on board. Berlin only wants to reduce emissions by 88 per cent. Paris and Warsaw did not want a new climate target; now they are going to water it down.
A declaration of insolvency looms at the COP30 international climate conference in Brazil in November. A climate target for 2035 is being called for there. But so far, the 27 EU states cannot even agree on a position for 2040...
The economy is also pulling out. ‘How CO2 emissions can be reduced by 90 per cent across Europe by 2040 is (...) currently unclear,’ explained the president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry.
Shortly after the Commission had adopted its plan – not without problems, as at least one commissioner said no – Commission President von der Leyen received eleven CEOs who complained about her dirigisme.
But it is not only the business community that is dissatisfied. Climate activists feel that the whole thing does not go far enough. And practitioners complain – quite rightly – that the EU still owes us a plan for adapting to the climate crisis.
Brussels was groaning under a heatwave of 35 degrees when von der Leyen & Co. presented their plans for 2040. However, the Commission did not want to reveal how we should deal with heat, drought, forest fires, etc. here and now.
It does provide emergency aid, for example in the case of forest fires. But so far, it has hardly taken care of its citizens. Last week, many people suffering from the heat rushed to buy air conditioning for their home offices.
But demand exceeded supply, and even the author of this blog came away empty-handed...
This is the English version of my German newsletter from Brussels on EU affairs, the “Watchlist EUropa” (three times a week, subscription here).
Hi, Eric.
I've been thinking about the future of the UE this days. I see, mostly, three posible developments:
1.- They try to keep acting like recent times but doubled per two.
2.- There is a division between axis (east, south, center-west and north).
3.- There is a reborn of sovereign behaviours of the States, but not only Hungary and this "roughe and mistaken" (on UE view xD); if not also in Germany, Poland, France and so on. This article points that in part.
However, will be a mix of those. Of course, will be a contradiction between the speech and the narrative one one side, and the behaviours and specific politics in the other (like is happening in inmigration, for exemple).