The UK, Germany and France push for more stringent EU emission targets

• 8 years ago (2016-03-04)

Europe 1061

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The three countries criticised a draft text that stated the bloc did not need to revise up its targets until the 2020s, as it decided how to share the burden. At present the EU has pledged to cut emissions by at least 40 per cent by 2030 from 1990 levels.

Jochen Flasbarth called the European Commission text “weak on the 2030 objectives”, while other ministers from the UK, France, Austria, Belgium, Portugal and Sweden concurred. Ministers from this group of countries also urged an earlier stock-take from the one agreed for 2023, in order to take into account a special UN report commissioned for 2018.

However, CEE states such as Poland, who’s economies rely on coal, argued that the EU should not ratchet up climate goals beyond what members could achieve.

French environment minister, Segolene Royal, said:  "We went from 2 degrees to 1.5 degrees [in Paris], so Europe must maintain the initiative."

On the other hand, Wendel Trio, head of Climate Action Network Europe, welcomed the strong stance of the UK, France and Germany as she said: "There is a wide gap between our current climate action plans and what needs to be done to avoid a climate disaster."

Miguel Aris Canete, EU Climate and Energy Commissioner, said that such nations were welcomed to be ambitious but also said that not all states could agree to such targets.