Parliament sets out climate policy vision to 2050

Wednesday 4 February 2009

The European parliament has recommended a long list of additional policy actions the EU should undertake to combat climate change. MEPs adopted a non-legislative resolution on Wednesday that closely mirrors recommendations made by a temporary climate committee last year (EE 03/12/08 http://www.endseurope.com/17199).

The resolution also reiterates many demands made in a parliamentary resolution on EU energy policy adopted on Tuesday, including for a minimum 80 per cent cut in greenhouse gases by 2050 and a binding energy efficiency target and EU-wide smart grid by 2020 (EE 03/02/09 http://www.endseurope.com/20555).

Other specific recommendations include a long-term target for the buildings sector to achieve zero-energy performance in all new residential buildings by 2015 and in new commercial and public buildings by 2020. This goes further than European commission proposals (EE 20/01/09 http://www.endseurope.com/20426).

But MEPs did not back an earlier call to reduce meat production to reduce methane emissions. German rapporteur Karl-Heinz Florenz welcomed this.

Climate change should be the highest priority in long-term EU budgeting, MEPs say. They recommend the commission considers binding emission reduction targets for the agricultural sector, including the waste industry in emission trading, and incentives for citizens to save energy including free energy audits.

Speaking on behalf of the parliament's EPP group, Mr Florenz's colleague Romana Jordan Cizelj said: "The best areas to take action are in energy policy, transport and industry. On top of this, there are many new areas, such as the sustainable use of forests, ICT and development policies towards third countries."

The parliament's temporary committee on climate change was created nearly two years ago (EE 25/04/07 http://www.endseurope.com/13400). It will now be dissolved.

Follow-up: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/default_en.htmEuropean 

parliament http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/default_en.htm plus press release

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/064-48340-033-02-06-911-20090204IPR48324-02-02-2009-2009-false/default_en.htm and draft resolution

 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&language=EN&reference=A6-2008-0495.

The adopted text will be available here http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/plenary/ta/calendar.do?language=EN

from Thursday.

See also reactions from European commission http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/211 and EPP group http://www.epp-ed.eu/Press/showpr.asp?PRControlDocTypeID=1&PRControlID=8279&PRContentID=14369&PRContentLG=en.

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