The European Parliament has a date with the climate. MEPs will debate, Tuesday, June 7, and vote, Wednesday, June 8, on eight proposals of the “climate package”. This is the European Union’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and to achieve net greenhouse gas emissions. zero greenhouses by 2050.
What is the EU doing for the climate?
On this World Environment Day, learn more about what is called the “climate package” or “the adjustment to the 55 target”.
Follow all the debates in plenary session next week. #environmentday #OneEarth
— European Parliament in France (@Europarl_FR) June 5, 2022
One of the key (and very divisive) proposals on the agenda concerns the automotive industry. MEPs will indeed debate and vote on the possibility of banning the sale of new thermal cars (gasoline or diesel) in Europe from 2035. “It may seem far away, but thirteen years to completely transform the biggest industry in terms of jobs in Europe is obviously extremely fast”justifies the MEP Pascal Canfin, president of the Environment Committee of the European Parliament.
This proposal, which does not concern used cars and does not prohibit thermal vehicles from circulating, is widely debated, even in France. “The European Union will transform cars into luxury goods that the middle class can no longer afford”, denounced Marine Le Pen last March. “This is an essential condition for making low-emission vehicles accessible to households and accelerating the transition of the automotive sector while saving many jobs in the sector”, retorts the Climate Action Network. As a reminder, passenger cars and vans produce around 15% of the EU’s total CO2 emissions.
Another structural measure divides MEPs less. This is the implementation of the carbon tax at the borders of Europe. The idea is to apply a carbon price to imports of certain goods from outside the Union, in order to preserve European industries which must respect rules in this area and limit relocation. “We will be the first area in the world to set up such a systemexplains MEP Pascal Canfin. Today, our manufacturers are paying the price of carbon more and more whereas, when you produce in China or Turkey, you don’t pay. It’s unfair and we’re putting an end to this injustice.”
A social fund for the climate could also be created. This new fund aims to help the citizens most affected by poverty in terms of energy and mobility to cope with the rising costs associated with the energy transition. The Commission has proposed to provide it with a budget of 72 billion euros for the period 2025-2032.
This aid would take the form of tax reductions or the introduction of other forms of direct income support to cope with the rise in the price of road transport and heating fuel. It can also include incentives to retrofit buildings and, to switch, to renewable energy sources in buildings as well as incentives to switch from private transport to public transport, carpooling and cycling.
The debates promise to be tough in the European Parliament for two days. It must be said that lobbies are active behind the scenes in order to redirect certain binding texts. “If we add up all the lobbies, in the end, we no longer have any climate action and it’s irresponsible when we know the consequences of climate change”, judge MEP Pascal Canfin. For its part, the Climate Action Network “Asks the European Parliament not to give in to lobbies and to take the turn of the ecological transition and its benefits by voting for ambitious climate reforms”.