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European Council Summit Ends With Historic Budget, Climate Change Agreements
Over the past month, the EU’s budget plans have been held up by Poland and Hungary, who have protested against the bloc’s attempt to make access to funds contingent on the observance of democratic values and respect for the rule of law.
Warsaw and Budapest are believed to be the targets of this so-called rule of law mechanism, although a compromise was found in Brussels on Thursday evening, allowing the Polish and Hungarian governments to take the matter to the European Court of Justice further down the line, in exchange for their approval of the budget.
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REUTERS / Johanna Geron
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and German Chancellor Angela Merkel hold a news conference at the end of a EU leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, December 11, 2020. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/Pool
Along with the budget agreement, the European Union’s member states also came to a deal on ambitious new emissions targets as part of the bloc’s attempts to reach “climate neutrality” by 2050.
“After several hours of very intense discussions, we have taken a big step forward for the European Union in various areas,” European Council President Charles Michel said at a press conference on Friday.
Poland, Hungary Push for Rule of Law Postponement
For EU leaders, getting a consensus on the 1.074 trillion euro seven-year budget and 750 billion euro NextGenerationEU COVID-19 recovery fund was of paramount importance at the two-day summit. Polish and Hungarian leaders had refused to make concessions prior to Thursday’s meeting, meaning that a new tactic was required.
A solution appears to have been found by allowing Poland and Hungary to refer the bloc’s rule of law mechanism to the European Court of Justice, a process that is likely to take several years. In return, Hungary and Poland finally gave their consent to the budget and recovery fund proposals, which are set to come into force in 2021.
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REUTERS / Olivier Matthys
European Union heads of state stand for a moment to remember late French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing during a round table meeting at a face-to-face EU summit amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown in Brussels, Belgium December 10, 2020.
“We have had the capacity to reach an agreement, to get together in order to implement the multiannual financial framework and recovery fund that we talked about in July. I would like to pay tribute to Chancellor Angela Merkel on this topic, in particular, because she really rolled up her sleeves, she got down to work with a great deal of commitment to do this for Europe“, Michel said at a press conference.
According to the European Council president, the European Union will now be able to fund many of its ambitious plans to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
EU Increases Emissions Cut Targets
Climate change once again took centre stage in Brussels, and the heads of the 27 EU member states agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent of 1990 levels by 2030. The previous target envisioned a reduction of 40 percent by 2030.
“To meet the objective of a climate-neutral EU by 2050 in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, the EU needs to increase its ambition for the coming decade and update its climate and energy policy framework. To that end, the European Council endorses a binding EU target of a net domestic reduction of at least 55% in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990”, a European Council document published after the summit read.
Since becoming president of the European Commission one year ago, Ursula von der Leyen has pushed European Union member states to back her so-called Green Deal, although Jean-Louis Butre, from the French Federation for a Sustainable Environment, told Sputnik that meeting the ambitious emissions goals is likely to be difficult.
“Everybody knows that it is so much easier at the beginning of a specific effort to get results; it is called ‘picking the low-hanging fruit’. Governments, industries can adopt new rules, close evident loopholes, take easy measures that enabled, in our case, Europe to reduce its emissions or at least the expected growth of emissions by 20 percent in comparison with the level of emissions of 1990. But to do the extra 80 percent is a daunting task, and the decisions that are taken are often not bearing any result,” Butre commented.
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AFP 2020 / ERIC LALMAND
A photo taken on August 20, 2014 shows a nuclear power plant, in Tihange, Belgium.
According to the French expert, many of the bloc’s attempts at moving to sustainable sources of energy, such as wind or solar power, have in fact led to an increase in emissions.
“Deciding to invest massively and above all in intermittent ‘renewable’ sources of electricity like Germany or Denmark have done, increasing their solar and wind ‘farms’ has imposed the construction, in parallel, of the same capacity in coal and gas power plants to compensate for the absence or excess of wind and sun. The result is evident: Merkel’s Germany has increased its emissions of CO2 in place of reducing them. Not only does the German policy lead to negative growth of the economy and stagnation, but it does not reduce emissions of CO2”, Butre stated.
Turkey Sanctions Potentially Forthcoming
Turkey has been at the centre of many high-level European Union discussions this passing year. Greece and Cyprus have raised multiple complaints about the presence of Turkish seismic exploration vessels in waters both Athens and Nicosia claim to be part of their countries’ respective exclusive economic zones.
At this week’s European Council summit, the bloc stopped short of implementing sanctions on Ankara, although the leaders of the 27 member states noted Turkey’s “unilateral” actions in the eastern Mediterranean region.
“Regrettably, Turkey has engaged in unilateral actions and provocations and escalated its rhetoric against the EU, EU Member States and European leaders. Turkish unilateral and provocative activities in the Eastern Mediterranean are still taking place, including in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone”, the conclusions of the European Council summit read.
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REUTERS / YORUK ISIK
FILE PHOTO: Turkish seismic research vessel Oruc Reis sails in the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, October 3, 2018. Picture taken October 3, 2018
Despite the pressure from Athens and Nicosia, the European Union will first consult with the United States, most notably the incoming Biden administration, before taking action against Turkey.
“The EU will seek to coordinate on matters relating to Turkey and the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean with the United States”, the conclusions read.
Sunday Deadline for Brexit Deal
While the leaders of the European Union’s member states met for the European Council summit, UK and EU negotiators continued their talks in the hope of concluding a free trade deal before a self-imposed Sunday deadline.
“We will decide on Sunday whether we have the conditions for an agreement or not”, von der Leyen said at Friday’s joint press conference alongside Michel and Merkel.
The European Commission president had dinner with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday, although the meeting failed to resolve the long-standing issues on fisheries, governance, and the level playing field.
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REUTERS / POOL
EU Commission President von der Leyen meets British PM Johnson in Brussels
“We understand that the UK aspires to control its waters. The UK must, on the other hand, understand the legitimate expectations of EU fishing fleets built on decades and sometimes centuries of access”, the European Commission president remarked.
On Thursday, the European Commission published a range of contingency measures in preparation for a “no-deal” scenario.
The measures would ensure uninterrupted road and air connectivity between the United Kingdom and the European Union for a period of six months starting on 1 January, upon the conclusion of the Brexit transition period.
Euro Summit Notes EU’s “Strong” Response to COVID-19
The eurozone heads of state also held a meeting on Friday to discuss the bloc’s response to the coronavirus disease pandemic. In a statement, the leaders praised the EU’s “strong” response to the pandemic.
“The strong, swift and coordinated economic policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented but integral in mitigating its socio-economic impact. The crisis will require ongoing support to ensure a robust and well-balanced economic recovery while safeguarding sound public finances”, the statement read.
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REUTERS / Olivier Matthys
France’s President Emmanuel Macron speaks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a round table meeting at a face-to-face EU summit amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown in Brussels, Belgium December 10, 2020.
At the same time, the EU must create the “financial architecture” necessary to support sustainable growth and job creation, as well as to finance the bloc’s green and digital transformations, according to the statement.
After a year of internal and external disputes, the approval of the seven-year budget, COVID-19 recovery fund, and climate change goals means that the European Union can now look to the future as von der Leyen and Michel seek to implement their ambitious plans.
Further clarity may be achieved on Sunday, should the UK and EU finally decide if a trade deal can be reached or not.
Blasphemy laws don’t protect religion, they kill people: USCIRF hearing
Blasphemy laws in nearly half the world’s countries encourage violence to be inflicted on religious minorities, said researchers at a virtual hearing presented by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The hearing on Wednesday announced the release of a new report titled, “Violating Rights: Enforcing the World’s Blasphemy Laws,” which examined the impact of blasphemy laws worldwide. Well-natured politicians in those countries often believe forbidding insults to religion will lead to less violence, researchers said. But in reality, forced conformity creates more oppression.
In many nations with blasphemy laws, mobs attack and kill people who have been accused of blasphemy, said University of California School of Law lecturer Amjad Khan.
“Nations that criminalize blasphemy tend to foster an environment where terrorism is more legitimized, prevalent and insidious. Most notably, nation-states that enforce blasphemy laws are indeed statistically more likely to experience terrorist attacks,” said Khan.
Of the 84 nations with blasphemy laws, 43 do not enforce the blasphemy laws in their legal code. Most blasphemy laws are poorly designed, vaguely worded and have unclear penalties, USCIRF chair Gayle Manchin said to The Christian Post.
“Blasphemy is defined as insulting or showing contempt for God, but of course that pertains to your own beliefs or expression of beliefs,” she said. “Freedom of expression totally invalidates blasphemy laws.”
Even when governments don’t enforce blasphemy laws, they can still threaten religious liberty. Often, mobs violently attack people accused of blasphemy and say they were enforcing the law to escape punishment, said Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum, an associate professor of clinical law at Cardozo School of Law.
“There is an issue of mob driven violence at the hands of non-state perpetrators. One hundred and thirty-six incidents of mob violence were reported from 2014 to 2018,” she said. “Sometimes thousands of victims were involved in mob action.”
The hearing included Shaan Taseer, the son of the late Pakistan Gov. Salman Taseer. A bodyguard killed the governor in 2011 because of his plan to reform the country’s strict blasphemy law. Though he was accused of blasphemy, courts posthumously found Taseer’s father innocent of the charge.
Salman Taseer had been accused by hardline groups of committing blasphemy by criticizing Pakistan’s blasphemy law, which is supposed to protect Muslim sentiments, but according to human rights groups is often used to settle personal scores and oppress Christians and other religious minorities.
He was also known for standing up for Christians who were being punished by the country’s blasphemy laws, including Asia Bibi, who was on death row for eight years after being accused of insulting Islam. Bibi was acquitted by a court in 2018 and granted asylum in Canada. She’s been seeking asylum in France since the beginning of this year.
“Being accused of Pakistan is in itself a death sentence with no judge, no jury, straight to the executioner. People are beaten to death, shot on the spot for only an accusation,” Taseer said. “I, too, have been accused of blasphemy and have a fatwa on my head. A mob believes that anyone who kills me will get a ticket to Heaven.”
In Pakistan, people accused of blasphemy tend to come from poor, minority groups and are often illiterate. People almost always get accused by a neighbor after a previous disagreement, and they never get a fair trial, Taseer said. Blasphemy accusations are legal murder.
Surprisingly, countries including Germany, Scotland, Denmark, Canada and Italy still have blasphemy laws, said Manchin. Germany plans to apply its blasphemy law to internet content. In strongly religious countries where authoritarian governments rule, blasphemy laws are the strictest. In Brunei, Pakistan and Iran, blasphemy bears the death penalty.
“In countries that are governed by authoritarians and where there is a majority religion, there infiltrates an idea that everybody needs to believe the same thing. If you don’t, you’re a threat to the majority,” Manchin said. “Countries that have the strictest blasphemy laws also have the greatest extent of mob violence. They’re turning a blind eye and allowing these hate groups to enforce laws they have on the books.”
At the hearing, Sen. James Langford, R-Okla., called attention to a recent congressional resolution against blasphemy laws which he sponsored.
The resolution would make the repeal of other countries’ blasphemy laws a priority for the United States, designate countries with blasphemy laws as countries of particular concern, and oppose the U.N.’s efforts to create international blasphemy norms.
The resolution has already in the House, but Senate leaders are blocking it from getting a vote, he said.
“Many countries don’t want to be able to discuss blasphemy and apostate laws, and they choose to hide these things,” Langford said. “We cannot turn a blind eye to this because it has been exposed.”
From 2014 to 2018, more countries have made new blasphemy laws than have repealed them, Manchin said. In some countries, laws on blasphemy have improved considerably. Iceland, Norway, France, Malta, Denmark, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, Greece, Scotland and Uzbekistan all removed their blasphemy laws. A key factor in their decisions was pressure from the U.S. to change the laws.
“We have found that what the U.S. thinks of other countries makes a difference. Most countries care what they look like to the rest of the world,” said Manchin. “In many cases, they try to do better. Sudan is a case where they’re winding down and slowly working away from it.”
World must invest in strong health systems that protect everyone — now and into the future
“For Universal Health Coverage Day, let us commit to ending this crisis and build a safer and healthier future by investing in health systems that protect us all — now”, declared the UN chief, adding that: “This year’s pandemic has shown us that no one is safe until everyone is safe.”
In his message on the Day, marked annually on 12 December, Mr. Guterres underscored that in 2020, the world had witnessed the tragedy that strikes when health facilities are overwhelmed by a new, highly infectious and often deadly disease.
Overstretched by COVID-19
And further, the coronavirus outbreak had painfully illustrated what can happen when the effort to address an emergency so overstretches healthcare systems that they can no longer provide other essential services such as cancer screening, routine immunization and care for mothers and babies.
“We must do far more if we are to reach our goal of achieving universal health coverage by 2030,” the Secretary-General said, referring to an agreement reached by UN Member States in September 2019, just months before the pandemic struck.
Reaching this goal would mean not just spending more on health, he said, but spending better, from protecting health workers and strengthening infrastructure to preventing diseases and providing healthcare close to home, in the community.
“Investments in health systems also improve countries’ preparedness and response to future health emergencies,” the UN chief explained.
Marginalized and vulnerable, worst hit
Health emergencies have disproportionate impacts on marginalized and vulnerable populations, Mr. Guterres continued, underscoring that as new COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments become available, they must reach all those who need them.
“In responding to the pandemic, we have seen rapid innovative approaches to health service delivery and models of care, and advances in preparedness. We must learn from this experience”, he said.
Right to health
During his regular briefing on Friday on the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO Director-GeneralTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that world had just recently marked Human Rights Day, and these two days, “coming so close together at the end of this very difficult year, are a reminder that as we rebuild from this crisis, we must do so on the foundation of human rights – including the right to health.”
This is precisely the moment for investing in health — WHO chief Tedros
Mr. Tedros said: “2020 has reminded us that health is the most precious commodity on earth. In the face of the pandemic, many countries have offered free testing and treatment for COVID-19 and promised free vaccination for their populations. They have recognized that the ability to pay should not be the difference between sickness and health, between life and death.”
For its part, WHO is launching two initiatives to support and rapidly accelerate countries’ journey towards universal coverage.
The first, explained Mr. Tedros, is a global programme to strengthen primary healthcare, better equipping countries to prevent and respond to emergencies of all kinds, from the personal crisis of a heart attack, to an outbreak of a new and deadly virus.
The second is a new “UHC Compendium” designed to help countries develop the packages of services they need to meet their people’s health needs.
Spending patterns
“WHO is also launching a new report that provides the first analysis of how global health spending has changed during 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said, noting that among other things, the new report warns that higher debt servicing could make it more difficult to maintain public spending on health.
“But this is precisely the moment for investing in health. The pandemic has demonstrated that health is not a luxury; it is the foundation of social, economic and political stability. Indeed, today’s report highlights that the COVID-19 crisis provides an opportunity for a ‘reset’ in countries with weak health financing systems”, explained the WHO chief.
Utah State game cancelled after players protest president’s alleged comments about interim coach’s religion
Utah State’s players reportedly voted not to play against Colorado State on Saturday after comments made by the school’s president about interim coach Frank Maile’s faith.
The players released a statement to Stadium about their decision not to play. The comments allegedly made by school president Noelle Cockett on Tuesday were about her concerns with Maile’s “religious and cultural background.” Maile, a former Utah State player, is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Mountain West conference has since announced the game has been called off.
The Utah State players’ statement is below in its entirety.
“The Utah State football players have decided to opt out of our game against Colorado State due to ongoing inequality and prejudicial issues between the players, coaches, and the USU administration.
“On Tuesday, December 8th, the Utah State University Football Leadership Council held a zoom meeting with Noelle Cockett, President of USU, and John Hartwell, the Athletic Director. The purpose of the meeting was to have a say in the search for our new head coach. During the meeting, we voiced our support for Interim Head Coach Frank Maile. In response to our comments, their primary concern was his religious and cultural background. Players, stating their diverse faiths and backgrounds, then jumped to Coach Frank Maile’s defense in treating everyone with love, equality, and fairness.
“It is not the first time issues of repeated discrimination have happened. In December 2019, our head equipment manager used a racial slur against one of our African-American teammates. After disregarding the incident, pressure resurfaced to investigate in the summer of 2020. After the investigation, the administration concluded he would continue to be employed.
“We want our message to be clear that this has nothing to do with the hiring of Coach Blake Anderson, the recently-named head coach of the program. We are sure he is an excellent coach; we look forward to meeting him and his staff. We are highlighting the ongoing problems of inequality and want to create a better future for the community of Logan and Utah State University.”
Maile was installed as the team’s interim coach after Gary Andersen was fired following the Aggies’ 0-3 start. Anderson, the former coach at Arkansas State, resigned on Thursday after multiple reports said he was going to become Utah State’s next head coach.
Maile is currently in his fifth season as an assistant at Utah State and began the season as the team’s co-defensive coordinator. He was also the team’s interim head coach at the end of the 2018 season after Matt Wells was hired at Texas Tech.
Utah State is currently 1-5 and Saturday’s game was set to be the final game of the season. Colorado State is 1-3 because it’s missed three games due to COVID-19 cancellations.
More from Yahoo Sports:
European Union agreement to reduce emissions by 55% in 2030
It has taken a whole year and many hours of negotiation, but finally on Friday morning all the member states of the European Union have agreed: the continent will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% in 2030 (compared to 1990 levels). It has taken several hours of sleeplessness, in a debate that has dragged on into the night, to be able to add countries like Poland, still highly dependent on fossil fuels, to the bargain.
However, just one day before the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, which on December 12 2015, brought together all the world’s governments to keep global warming below 2°C (or 1.5°C as a desirable goal), the European Union has agreed to raise its 40% emissions cut to 55%. The European Parliament was asking for 60% and NGOs were going further by demanding 65%, but the agreed reduction of more than half the emissions in ten years is consistent with what scientists believe is right.
The new 55% goal will finally be included in the European climate law, which was presented in April without this point due to lack of agreement from the East, and will also be presented as a renewed objective to the UN at the first climate summit, COP26, to be held next year in Glasgow (UK) after having to postpone it for a year due to the covid-19.
To achieve this, however, Poland has kept heads of state and governments up all night. From Thursday evening until this Friday morning at 8am, the heads of state and governments meeting in Brussels had not managed to convince the Polish government (the country is highly dependent on coal) to sign up to the commitment to reduce CO2 emissions 55% by 2030. Poland had already been an obstacle at the previous year’s summit, when it disassociated itself from the final conclusions, in which Europe committed itself to achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
The keys to the agreement
This time, what Poland was asking for was guarantees that it would receive sufficient European funds to carry out the energy transition that this commitment requires. It should be remembered that Poland was also one of the countries (along with Hungary) that vetoed the European budgets and the coronavirus recovery funds. Mateusz Morawiecki has become one of the protagonists of this last 2020 summit, complicating two key negotiations until the very end: the EU budget, and the climate goals.
According to European sources, one of the most sensitive issues, beyond the guarantees requested by Poland, has been the establishment of national goals by economic sectors. In fact, the objective of reducing emissions 55% by 2030 is global for the entire Union, which means that if Poland does not reach the necessary figure it can be compensated by another country that has managed to cut its emissions further. In this sense, it has been implicitly agreed that leaders will have to address the issue again in future meetings to give “additional recommendations” to governments.
For this reason, the Polish people have the Just Transition Fund, which must help them financially to make the energy transition to end their dependence on coal, and at the same time the need to make all these changes while “preserving the EU’s competitiveness and taking into account the different starting points and specific national circumstances and reduction potential of the different member states” is strongly emphasised.
The controversies
During the early morning negotiations, the French representatives joined with the Eastern European representatives to get a clause included in the text that accepts “transitional technologies” such as gas among those eligible for subsidies, an element that has outraged climate NGOs such as Greenpeace. The agreed text defends “the right of member states to decide their energy mix and choose the most appropriate technologies to collectively achieve the climate objective by 2030, including transitional technologies such as gas”.
For Greenpeace EU climate advisor Sebastian Mang, the agreement reached on Friday “shows that political expediency takes precedence over climate science, and that most politicians are still afraid to attack big polluters. Without further action, the EU’s climate targets will allow oil and gas companies to survive, they will not transform the way we produce food fast enough to stop the climate emergency”. In fact, Greenpeace criticizes the lack of ambition because without new measures, emissions would already be reduced by 46% by 2030. Instead, they believe that in order to stop the climate “catastrophe” it is necessary to cut them by 65%. It should be remembered that the EP was asking for 60%.
The new 2030 target is in fact the start of the EU’s journey to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 (emitting as much as it absorbs), in compliance with the Paris Agreement. The agreement can help Europe regain lost leadership in the global climate fight and adds to the good news of the change of administration in the United States, since Joe Biden will once again ratify the Paris Agreement, which Donald Trump had been unhappy about. However, the new Biden administration will have to work hard to reverse Trump’s denialist policies, which have wasted precious time for the world’s second largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
Yet the world’s largest emitter, China, has so far only committed to peak emissions (to start reducing them) by 2030, even though it is expected to present more ambitious commitments than this at the next COP26. Without the effort of all international actors, the EU’s cut will do little to keep the planetary thermometer at bay.
How Bay author’s books are helping instil love of reading
A HERVEY Bay author has been included in a statewide project that aims to instil a love of reading in children aged up to five years.
Shae Millward wrote “Koalas Like To …” especially for the State Library of Queensland project, which was launched this week.
Ms Millward said the koala is the faunal emblem of Queensland and that provided her with the inspiration for the picture book.
It is her second published picture book after “A Boy and a Dog” and both books are available to borrow from Fraser Coast Libraries.
Ms Millward said she was extremely honoured to be chosen to participate in the project but was initially cautious because she received the first phone call about it on April Fool’s Day.
“I loved the idea of the First 5 Forever Stories for Little Queenslanders project from the moment I found out about it,” she said.
“I love books, reading, writing, stories, libraries, Queensland, being involved with promoting early childhood literacy and supporting a love of books and reading from a young age – and this project includes the lot.”
Ms Millward said the koala is the faunal emblem of Queensland and that provided her with the inspiration for the picture book.
It is her second published picture book after “A Boy and a Dog” and both books are available to borrow from Fraser Coast Libraries.
Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour congratulated Shae on being selected to be part of the project.
“Each of the 12 books included in the project has been created exclusively by authors and illustrators with a connection to Queensland,” he said.
“They have an attention to language designed to promote early literacy; and help children develop a sense of identity and belonging by connecting with their environment and local communities.
“The books are available to borrow for free at each of our five branches.”
Library members can find the titles included in the project by searching “First 5 Forever Stories for Little Queenslanders” in the library catalogue: catalogue.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/Montage/ Ebook and eaudiobook versions of the titles are also available for free via the First 5 Forever website: slq.qld.gov.au/first5forever/books.
The books have been published and supplied to libraries by the State Library as part of the Queensland Government-funded First 5 Forever initiative.
A limited number of copies are available for sale through the State Library of Queensland shop: shop.slq.qld.gov.au.
CoR and German environment minister discuss how to achieve a green, resilient and just recovery
Local leaders: EU Member States must raise climate
ambitions and agree at least 55% carbon emissions
reduction target for 2030
Local and regional leaders stressed today that
Europe must draw the right lessons from the
COVID-19 crisis and pave the way for a green
recovery by empowering its cities and regions to
lead the fight against climate change. This message
emerged from the debate of the Members of the
European Committee of the Regions with Svenja
Schulze, German Federal Minister for the
Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear
Safety. The European Committee of the Regions also
called on all the EU27 Heads of State and
Government to raise their ambition and agree this
week on at least a 55% emissions reducing target
for 2030.
At this week’s European Council meeting, leaders of the
27 EU Member States will seek agree on a new EU
emissions reduction target for 2030. The European
Commission’s proposes to cut greenhouse gas emissions
by at least 55% by 2030 in relation to 1990 levels, a
position supported by the European Committee of the
Regions. During the Committee’s virtual plenary debate,
leaders of EU regions, cities and villages highlighted
that the COVID crisis should not hinder the EU’s
commitment to tackling the climate and biodiversity
crises by setting a new more ambitious 2030 target. The
successful implementation of the European Green Deal –
the EU’s new growth strategy – must be turned into
concrete projects locally
and be based on a decentralised approach.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas
, President of the European Committee of the Regions,
and Governor of Central Macedonia in Greece,
said
: “Our economy and our climate are at breaking point:
we need a balanced, just and green European recovery
for every region, city and village. EU member states
must agree to cutting carbon emissions by at least 55%
by 2030 and approve the EU’s long-term budget and
recovery plans without delay. This is crucial to pave
the way to a carbon-neutral Europe by 2050 and to
guarantee a rapid transition to more sustainable
economies, protecting jobs and creating new
opportunities.”
Speaking at the CoR plenary session on 8 December, Federal Minister Svenja Schulze said:
“Just as in the fight against COVID-19, we know a key
success factor in environmental and climate policy:
good cooperation between all political levels -
European, national, regional and local. The Green Deal
is the strategy for the economic relaunch of Europe,
making it more resilient, competitive and liveable. It
is essential that the Member States reach an agreement
soon on the Multiannual Financial Framework and the
Recovery and Resilience Facility, which includes huge
expenditure on climate protection and biodiversity.”
Mayor of Seville Juan Espadas (ES/PES)
, chair of the CoR’s
ENVE Commission
and the
Green Deal Going Local working group
, said: “The recovery from the COVID-19 crisis is an
opportunity to rebuild Europe in a sustainable way and
to accelerate the much needed ecological transition. We
have no time to waste, whether it be to save our
economies with a strong European budget or to implement
bold climate actions. The 2030 Climate Target Plan can
become one of the major achievements of this Presidency
this week. Cities and regions are ready to act.”
Showing the German government’s commitment to a strong
local and regional involvement in climate policy, the
current Council Presidency – which will end its 6-month
term on 31 December – requested two opinions from the
CoR. The
first of them
assesses the opportunities of precautionary adaptation
to climate change and urges the European Commission to
develop a new EU Adaptation Strategy with clear goals
and indicators in line with the principles of active
subsidiarity and proportionality.
Rapporteur Markku Markkula (FI/EPP),
Chair of Espoo City Board and former CoR President
(2015-2017), said: “Political leadership should treat
climate change as an emergency that needs to be tackled
collectively with innovative measures breaking down
silos and barriers and integrating mitigation and
adaptation policies. This means raising the climate
ambition bar much higher than the EU is discussing
today and providing cities and regions with the tools
necessary to develop territory-based solutions. No
adaptation policy will work unless it takes into
account the needs, views and expertise of regions and
cities.”
The
second opinion
, which focuses on the impact of climate change in
regions and provides a first assessment of the Green
Deal, will be presented on Wednesday by rapporteur Andries Gryffroy (BE/EA). The member
of the Flemish parliament said: “The Green Deal will be
successful only if it regions and cities are at its
core. Although several regions and cities have adopted
energy transition plans or Local Green Deals, these are
rarely reflected in national plans and strategies. We
stand ready to work with the Commission and its Joint
Research Centre to set up a Regional European
Scoreboard to monitor and track progress in the
implementation of climate and Green Deal related
legislation, policies and financing at regional level.”
Background information
At the European Council meeting this week (10-11
December), the leaders of the 27 EU Member States will
seek agree on a new EU emissions reduction target for
2030. This would allow the EU to submit its updated
nationally determined contribution to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change before
the end of 2020. The European Commission’s Climate
Target Plan for 2030 proposes to cut greenhouse gas
emissions by at least 55% in relation to 1990 levels, a
position supported by the European Committee of the
Regions.
Contact:
Lauri Ouvinen
Tel. +32 473536887
David Crous
Tel. +32 470 881 037
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From Farm to Fork: moving towards a sustainable and resilient food system in the EU
In this interview, Guido Milana (IT/PES) answers five questions on Farm to Fork , the new strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system in the EU. The municipal councillor from Olevano Romano and former Member of the European Parliament calls for a radical change in food production and consumption, starting with a shift to greener production systems that respect biodiversity and ecology principles. The rapporteur of the opinion ‘From Farm to Fork: the local and regional dimension ‘ stresses that COVID-19 makes it even more urgent to move towards a more sustainable and resilient food system. The opinion is to be adopted during the December 2020 plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions.
CoR and EU Commission launch partnership to help local authorities integrate migrants and implement the New Pact on Migration and Asylum
The European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions are joining forces to develop a new partnership to increase support to the work on integration that is performed by EU cities and regions. The partnership was announced by the President of the Committee of the Regions (COR), Apostolos Tzitzikostas, and the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, at today’s COR plenary session.
