On April 21st, an agreement has been found between the European Commission and Parliament, and Member States, on the European Climate Law. At the heart of the European Green Deal, the European Climate Law enshrines the EU’s commitment to reaching climate neutrality by 2050 and reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, turning those targets into legal obligations for the EU and its Member States.
The deal also strengthens the European framework for climate action, notably introducing:
- a process for setting a 2040 climate target _the Commission will publish an indicative greenhouse gas budget for 2030-2050;
- a commitment to negative emissions after 2050;
- the establishment of European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, that will provide independent scientific advice;
- stronger provisions on adaptation to climate change;
- strong coherence across Union policies with the climate neutrality objective;
- a commitment to engage with sectors to prepare sector-specific roadmaps.
The contribution of carbon removals from land use, agriculture and forestry will be capped to avoid accounting tricks.
The European Scientific Advisory Board, which will advise policymakers on aligning EU policies with the bloc’s climate neutrality goal, will be an independent body composed of 15 members from across Europe, each appointed for a four-year term. It will provide scientific advice and report on existing and proposed policy measures and targets as well as greenhouse gas budgets. The European Environment Agency will provide its secretariat.
The agreement, which will be formally incorporated into a “climate bill” in preparation, was presented at the climate summit initiated by U.S. President Joe Biden. EU officials have also indicated at this summit that they want to establish a carbon regulation mechanism at their borders, and have called for joint commitment and action across the world to reduce emissions by 2030 in the fight against climate change.