"Net 55%" emission reduction - EU agrees on Climate Law

On Wednesday April 21 after 14 hours of discussions negotiators from the European Parliament and the Member States reached a concensus on the specific elements of the draft European Climate Law. This is considered a big step forward to a climate neutral Europe by the environmental community. Here are the most important negotiated points:

• 2030 target was set as "net 55%", which includes around 52,8% direct emissions reduction from the emitting sectors (e.g. energy, industry, transport, building, agriculture) compared to 1990 and 225 Mt of CO2e "removed" from the atmosphere by forests and other natural sinks. Whether international shipping and aviation will be included in the affected sectors yet stays unclear.
• 2050 climate-neutrality objective is set only for the Union as a whole with no obligations for each member state to achieve national climate neutrality.
• The GHG Budget was agreed for 2030-2050 but the budget for the period until 2030 remains unclear.
• It was agreed to set up an independent EU Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change. The main task of the Advisory Board will be to provide scientific advice and issuing reports on existing and proposed Union measures, climate targets and indicative GHG budgets, and their coherence with the Union's commitments under the Paris Agreement. It will be composed of 15 scientific experts (no more than 2 of the same EU MS) nominated for a mandate of 4 years by the Management Board of the European Environment Agency.
• All future legislative proposals, including budgetary proposals, should be consistent with the 2030 target and the climate-neutrality objective. 

Bluelink will analyse the agreed provisions of the European Climate Law and its implications for Bulgaria under the project "Expanding the support for European climate law in Bulgaria" which is implemented with financial support from the European Climate Foundation. The project aims to contribute to increasing of public support for the European Climate Law in Bulgaria and to encourage the development of a Bulgarian climate law and/or changes in the related national legislative and strategic documents.

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