What should have been a mere procedure has ended up becoming an intense political battle due to the growing doubts within the European Union about whether to press ahead with the green agenda in the face of economic competition from the United States and China.
Member States have clashed over cutting CO2 emissions by 2040, despite the fact that it is a simple intermediate step towards the real goal: climate neutrality – that is, a level of net zero emissions – by 2050, which was already established in the 2021 Climate Law.
After a marathon day of negotiations, including a blank night, which lasted until early this Wednesday, the EU Environment Ministers have approved a mandatory target of 90% emissions cuts greenhouse effect by 2040 compared to 1990 levels.
This is the same proposal that Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission made last July. This will be the EU’s contribution to the 30th United Nations Climate Conference (COP30), which starts on November 6 in Belém, Brazil.
However, it is about a completely decaffeinated goalsince it introduces a such a high level of flexibility and facilities for Member States which in practice empties it of content. Ministers justify this to safeguard European industry and the competitiveness of the EU.
The agreement represents a triumph for the Member States that advocate moderating the EU’s climate ambition to promote the bloc’s economic competitiveness; compared to countries that, like Spain Pedro Sanchezargue that green policies must continue to be a priority.
Even so, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland voted against. Belgium and Bulgaria have announced that they are abstaining. In contrast, Italy and France, which also had doubts, have ended up joining the commitment.
The main flexibility measure approved by the Ministers of the Environment consists of allow the purchase of international CO2 credits again in developing countries to cover up to 5% of the effort required to achieve the 90% cut in 2040. The original Brussels proposal limited these credits to 3%.
International credits may begin to be fully used from 2036, although a transitional period is introduced from 2031.
This means that Member States that have not achieved their assigned emissions reduction target at national level will be able to compensate by paying for projects that eliminate CO2 in developing countries, which They are usually cheaper. For example, a reforestation plan in Brazil or a solar energy plant in India.
This is a step backwards in environmental matters. EU legislation no longer allows these international credits to be used to achieve the 2030 or 2050 goals, because it wants the efforts to be made within the community territoryto guarantee real and permanent reductions.
Furthermore, the European Scientific Advisory Council on Climate Change has spoken out against the use of international CO2 credits to meet the 2040 goal, since “they could divert resources from national investments and put environmental integrity at risk.”
On the other hand, the Environment Ministers have agreed to include in the Climate Law a reinforced review clause that was also not in Von der Leyen’s original proposal.
The clause obliges the Community Executive to review the implementation of the intermediate emissions reduction objectives every two years and present, if it considers it necessary, legislative proposals to modify them.