Brussels’ climate ambitions run into national resistance
How ambitious the EU will be on climate this year depends a lot on Germany, and the signs aren’t looking good.
By KALINA OROSCHAKOFF 3/4/20, 5:06 PM CET Updated 3/4/20, 6:14 PM CET
“We are acting today to make the EU the world’s first climate neutral continent by 2050," Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement, as the Commission presented its proposal for a Climate Law — meant to make the EU's commitment to slash greenhouse gases to net zero by 2050 legally binding.
But rather than applause, the effort was greeted by a blast of criticism from environmental campaigners and from some of the member countries that will have to approve it.
Green campaigners and politicians trashed it.
"Your distant targets will mean nothing if high emissions continue like today, even for just a few more years," climate campaigner Greta Thunberg told MEPs, calling the climate plan a "surrender."
"This proposal should guarantee the world's best framework for environmental innovation. Instead, it's incapacitating the European Parliament and member states" — MEP Markus Pieper
On the other side, some national politicians warned of a power grab by Brussels. Germany's Christian Democrats — von der Leyen's own political family — emerged as one of her plan's most vocal critics.
"This proposal should guarantee the world's best framework for environmental innovation. Instead, it's incapacitating the European Parliament and member states," said Markus Pieper, an MEP who heads the German Christian Democrat group in the European Parliament.
He called the Commission's proposal to ram through deeper emissions cuts after 2030 "unacceptable" and a threat to democracy. "Effective climate protection must be democratically legitimized," he said.
Andrzej Sados, Poland's ambassador to the EU, over the weekend raised concerns that changing climate targets cannot be handed over largely to the Commission.
Those voices spell trouble for a measure that's going to need agreement from both member countries and the European Parliament to become law.
EU Green Deal chief Frans Timmermans shrugged off suggestions that Brussels was running roughshod over national powers.
"It's not a big deal what instrument we use," he said.
2030 dilemma
A lot of the anger over the proposed law is focused on 2030. That's the year by which the EU has promised to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent. However, the target is too little to hit the mid-century climate neutrality goal, so von der Leyen has promised to boost it to as much as 55 percent.
The Climate Law dodged the debate. Instead of setting a 2030 number, it called for a September deadline for the Commission to come out with a plan to boost the target.
That’s riling activists and an alliance of green-minded countries and parliamentarians, worried September is too late for the bloc to increase its 2030 goal in time for November’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.
How far the EU will go depends a lot on Berlin.
"By delaying action on increasing the EU’s 2030 climate targets and outlining concrete policy measures, Europe’s ‘man on the moon moment’ looks a lot more like ‘man stuck in traffic,’" said the European Environmental Bureau, an NGO umbrella group.
The European Parliament wants a 55 percent cut, something that's backed by some EU countries like France, Finland and the Netherlands.
But it's too much for countries like Poland, which relies on coal to generate electricity, and isn't committing to hitting climate-neutrality by 2050 at home.
How far the EU will go depends a lot on Berlin.
Germany takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in July, and will oversee crucial climate negotiations in the fall, including hosting the EU-China summit in Leipzig in September.
"Germany ... will have a key role to play in speeding up the process to reach an agreement before Glasgow," said Pascal Canfin, the chair of the European Parliament's environment committee.
The issue deeply divides the country's fragile right-left ruling coalition, and sets environmentalists against Germany's powerful industry.
Michael Bloss, a German Greens MEP, said von der Leyen had put Germany's climate hesitation "in black and white" by delaying the 2030 climate target.
Germany was a noticeable absentee this week when a Danish-led alliance of 12 largely northern and western countries called on the Commission to come out with its 2030 proposal by “June at the latest.”
"Germany did not sign the letter as we do not have a fully agreed governmental position on the upgrade of the 2030 target, yet," Jochen Flasbarth, state secretary in the Socialist-run environment ministry tweeted Wednesday. But, he said, Berlin would have to agree eventually. "Nobody can consistently agree to greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050 and at the same time remain at a 40 percent target for 2030."
Aitor Hernández-Morales contributed reporting.
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