How much should the EU raise its climate goals by 2030? This is an issue that divides the EU countries at the summit in Brussels right now. Sweden is pushing for too high a goal, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven.
– Reduced emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030. And this is absolutely necessary to achieve the long-term goal of zero climate impact by 2050.
Ahead of the meeting, Sweden has taken the initiative to provide support for the proposal presented by the European Commission where it wants to reduce emissions by the year 2030 by 55 percent, compared with the 1990 level. This is significantly higher than today’s target of 40 percent.
The government has brought with it ten other countries, mainly in northern and western Europe but also Spain and Portugal. The countries have made a joint statement to be handed over to the moderator Charles Michel.
A country that not written on the statement is the great power Germany. But Chancellor Angela Merkel said on the way to the meeting that she also supports the Commission’s proposal.
But there is also significant opposition to such a high goal. Especially in Eastern Europe where several countries are heavily dependent on coal power. For example, Poland, which is the only country in the EU that has not supported the Union’s overall climate goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050.
The Polish Prime Minister is not present at today’s meeting, he is at home in Warsaw in corona quarantine.
But Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis is in favor of his case, and the Czech Republic is also skeptical about the case.
– The Czech Republic can not reach that goal, Babis said on the way to the meeting.
He can, however provide support for 55% EU-wide targets, as long as national targets are not set for each Member State.
So there will be a real debate on this at the summit, but no decisions. It is expected in December.
Otherwise, the idea was that Brexit and the relationship with Britain would be in focus at today’s meeting here in Brussels. But no major news is really expected there because they have not reached a decisive position in the negotiations.
EU President Charles Michel says it is difficult negotiations but that the EU, as expected, wants to continue the talks.
Source: ICELAND NEWS