Brussels wants the power to impose tighter carbon emission targets on EU governments every five years as Europe strives to become the first continent in the world to reach climate neutrality by 2050. According to a leaked draft of Brussels’ landmark climate law, seen by the Financial Times, the commission will next week unveil bold legislation committing its member states to abide by regularly revised emission cuts for the next 30 years. Europe’s 2050 climate law is the cornerstone of Brussels ‘ Green Deal, which aims to make the EU the world’s largest economic bloc to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 compared with 1990 levels.
In a radical move, Brussels will reserve the power to raise emissions targets every five years from 2030 onwards using a legal instrument where member states and the European Parliament have limited power to object. Known as a “delegated act”, this type legislation gives Brussels the power to set revised emission targets based on “the best available science”, according to the document. It can only be rejected if a qualified majority of EU governments and MEPs block the proposal within four weeks of it being proposed.
The use of a delegated act, over one of the most sensitive parts of Europe’s environmental policy, will spark concern from EU governments who have been divided over how quickly to cut emissions in the coming decades to meet the 2050 target. “The member states will not accept this,” said one diplomat, noting that the commission’s use of delegated acts in recent years has prompted resistance in EU capitals.
All EU governments – with the exception of Poland – committed to the 2050 net zero goal in December last year. But capitals have been divided over whether to accelerate the pace of cuts by 2030. Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, has said the bloc should accelerate the pace of cuts to 50-55 per cent in 10 years’ time.
Europe’s drive to hit climate neutrality will require a fundamental reorientation of parts of the EU economy – impacting everything from national governments’ energy mixes to the creation of a mooted EU carbon border tax on imports. EU’s carbon border tax plan is risky but needed. Commission officials have been grappling with how to impose sufficiently tough interim emission targets on governments to meet the net zero target. Business groups have complained, however, that constant upward revisions to targets creates uncertainty for companies.