Background
The 2030 framework as proposed by the Commission in January 2014 builds on the experience of, and lessons learnt from, the 2020 climate and energy framework. It also takes into account the longer term perspective set out by the Commission in 2011 in the Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050, the Energy Roadmap 2050 and the Transport White Paper. These documents reflect the EU’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050 as part of the effort needed from developed countries as a group.
To prepare for the 2030 framework, a Green Paper adopted by the Commission in March 2013 launched a public consultation on what the framework should contain. The public consultation ran until 2 July 2013.
Following the agreement by the European Council, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said, “This 2030 package is very good news for our fight against climate change. No player in the world is as ambitious as the European Union when it comes to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, the proof that it is ambitious is that we are now going from a goal of 20% cut by 2020 compared to 1990 to 40% by 2030, so, doubling the effort. So, this is indeed a very ambitious, but also achievable target.”
Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Climate Action, said, “The EU climate action commissioner is very proud that the 28 EU leaders, despite economic uncertainty and other severe international crises, were able to get their act together on this pressing climate challenge.
Source: Europa.
