EU countries clinched deals on proposed laws to combat the climate crisis in the early hours of Wednesday says The Guardian.
- The EU countries have reached the climate crises deal.
- They worked on the backing of the 2035 car target
- These proposals are expected to become EU laws.
The 2035 phase-out
This was backing a 2035 phase-out of new fossil-fuel car sales and a multibillion-euro fund to shield poorer citizens from the costs of carbon dioxide emissions. Post more than 16 hours of negotiation, their environment minister agreed to the joint position f the five laws. “The climate crisis and its consequences are clear, and so the policy is unavoidable,” said EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans. He added that he thought the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, was spurring countries to quit fossil fuels faster. The deal makes it likely that the proposal will become EU law. The ministers’ agreements will form their position in upcoming negotiations with the EU parliament on the final laws. The parliament has also backed the 2035 car target.
Different countries take
Italy, Slovakia and other states had wanted the phase-out delayed to 2040. Countries eventually backed a compromise proposed by Germany, the EU’s biggest car market, which kept the 2035 target and asked Brussels to assess in 2026 whether hybrid vehicles or CO2-neutral fuels could comply with the goal. Timmermans said the commission would keep an “open mind” but that at present, hybrids did not deliver sufficient emissions cuts. The climate proposals aim to ensure the EU – the world’s third-biggest greenhouse gas emitter – reaches its 2030 target of reducing net emissions by 55% from 1990 levels. After negotiations, the minister agreed to form a €59bn EU fund to shield low-income citizens from the policy’s costs from 2027 to 2032. Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands – wealthier countries that would pay more into the fund than they would get back – had wanted it to be smaller.
CO2 price spike
Countries accepted the proposal to reinforce the market to cut emissions by 61% by 2030. They agreed on rules to make it easier for the EU to intervene in response to CO2 price spikes. Ministers backed two other laws to strengthen the national emissions-cutting targets Brussels sets countries for some sectors, and increase natural carbon sinks such as forests.
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Source: The Guardian
