EC chief calls for stricter 2030 emission reduction target

The European Commission (EC) will seek to push the 2030 goal for greenhouse gas emissions reduction to at least 55% from the current binding target of 40% compared to 1990 levels, EC president Ursula von der Leyen said in her State of the Union address on Wednesday.

Acknowledging that the new target is “too much for some, and not enough for others”, von der Leyen highlighted that the EC’s impact analysis showed that the goal is doable and would put the EU on track to reach climate neutrality by 2050.

“By next summer, we will revise all of our climate and energy legislation to make it “fit for 55”, the EC president said.

The EU will aim to allocate 37% of the EUR-750-billion (USD 890.7bn) coronavirus recovery package to climate action. At the same time, 30% of the recovery fund, which the EU will raise through borrowing, will come from green bond issues.

The EC president stressed the need for the bloc to make systemic changes to address pollution by incorporating more renewable energy and charging points for electric vehicles, improving energy efficiency and making building construction more sustainable.

One of the EU’s next big bets will be hydrogen, which von der Leyen said should be supported through the recovery fund.

By raising the emission reduction target, the EU could create millions of extra jobs and cut air pollution by more than half, von der Leyen stated.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.188)

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