In today’s vote on its resolution on the EU’s long-term climate strategy, the European Parliament called for achieving net zero emissions as early as possible and by 2050 at the latest and increasing the EU’s 2030 climate target to 55 percent emission cuts compared to 1990 levels.
A week ahead of the EU leaders’ discussion on the EU’s long-term climate vision, on Friday, March 15th thousands of schoolchildren around the world will be striking to demand stronger action on climate change from their governments.
EU Energy and Environment Ministers meeting in Brussels on 4 and 5 March to discuss the European Commission’s draft long-term strategy "A clean planet for all" added momentum for a climate neutral European economy by 2050.
Today members of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Development Committees brought the EU’s future external investments in closer alignment with Paris Agreement goals. They improved on the European Commission’s proposal by agreeing to increase the climate and environment spending target and to exclude fossil fuels from EU funding going to developing countries.
In today’s vote on the resolution on the EU’s long-term climate strategy, the European Parliament’s Environment Committee called for increasing the EU’s 2030 climate target to 55 percent emission cuts compared to 1990 levels, and achieving net zero emissions as early as possible and by 2050 at the latest.
Sixteen outdated coal power plants in the Western Balkans are a public health and economic liability for the whole of Europe, with people in the EU bearing the majority of the health impacts and costs, according to the new report by the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), Sandbag, Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, CEE Bankwatch Network and Europe Beyond Coal. The European Union (EU) needs to use all of the tools available to improve health, prolong lives, save health costs and increase productivity both in the EU and in the Western Balkan region.
EU Economy and Industry Ministers from ten EU Member States, including Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK, meeting in Brussels today to discuss the European Commission’s draft long-term strategy "A clean planet for all" expressed their support for building a climate neutral European economy by 2050.
A vote today by the Parliament on the future European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Cohesion Funds for 2021-2027 opens the possibilities for continued funding of fossil fuels, in spite of the EU’s obligations to reduce greenhouse gases under the Paris Agreement and its net-zero emissions Long Term Strategy.
Today the members of the European Parliament adopted the Common Provisions Regulation, which sets the principles and common rules on how Cohesion Policy funding should be spent from 2021 to 2027. Civil society groups CEE Bankwatch Network and Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe welcome the agreed climate-friendly provisions, including the exclusion of fossil fuel investments, but they must be reflected in tomorrow’s vote on the Regional Development Fund in order to become reality.
Nicolas Derobert
Communications Coordinator
nicolas /at/ caneurope.org
Work: +32 2894 4673
Mobile: +32 483 621 888
Stevan Vujasinović
Communications Coordinator for Southeast Europe
stevan /at/ caneurope.org
Mobile: +381 (0)63 390 218
Goksen Sahin
Communications Coordinator
goksen /at/ caneurope.org
Work: +32 2893 0827
Mobile: +32 468 453 920
