KEY ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSED EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL

According to President-elect Ursula von der Leyen

Goal: Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent.

1. European Climate Law to enshrine the 2050 climate neutrality target
2. Current goal is to have a 40% emissions reduction by 2030.
3. Extend the Emissions Trading System to cover the maritime sector and reduce the free allowances allocated to airlines over time. Extension to cover traffic and construction as well.
4. Converge different systems by 2030  in order to be climate neutral by 2050.
5. Introduction of a Carbon Border Tax to avoid carbon leakage compliant with  World Trade Organization rules, starting with a number of selected sectors and gradually extended.
6. Review the Energy Taxation Directive.
7. EU to become a world leader in circular economy and clean technologies.
8. Decarbonise energy-intensive industries.
9. Ensure a just transition for all and  support the people and regions most affected through a new Just Transition Fund.
10. European Climate Pact bringing together regions, local communities, civil society, industry and school to jointly design and commit to a set of pledges to bring about a change in behaviour, from the individual to the largest multinational.
11. Sustainable Europe Investment Plan: Strategy for green financing and  invest record amounts in cutting-edge research and innovation as well as tap into private investment by putting green and sustainable financing at the heart of the investment chain and financial system. The Sustainable Europe Investment Plan will support € 1 trillion of investment over the next decade in every corner of the EU.
12. Turn parts of the European Investment Bank into Europe’s climate bank. The bank is already the largest multilateral provider of climate finance worldwide, with 25% of its total financing dedicated to climate investment. At least double this figure by 2025.
13. Reduction of emissions by at least 50% by 2030.
14. The EU to engage international negotiations to increase the level of ambition of other major emitters by 2021.
15. By 2021, put forward a comprehensive plan to increase the European Union’s target for 2030 towards 55% in a responsible way. Plan will be based on social, economic and environmental impact assessments that ensure a level playing field and stimulate innovation, competitiveness and jobs.
16. Set new standards for biodiversity and present a Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. Work with  global partners to curtail biodiversity loss within the next five years. Lead  the world at the 2020 Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
17. Support farmers with a new “Farm to Fork Strategy” on sustainable food along the whole value chain.
18. Put forward a cross-cutting strategy to protect citizens’ health from environmental degradation and pollution, addressing air and water quality, hazardous chemicals, industrial emissions, pesticides and endocrine disrupters.
19. New Circular Economy Action Plan focusing on sustainable resource use, especially in resource-intensive and highimpact sectors such as textiles and construction.
20. Europe to lead on the issue of single use plastics. Open a new front in the fight against plastic waste by tackling micro-plastics.

The Greens/EFA priority measures to save the climate

The goal: Step up EU’s climate ambition, by raising the EU 2030 climate target to at least 60% greenhouse gas emissions, and implementing a Green New Deal to become a net-zero emission and 100% renewables-based economy well before 2050.

1. Stop subsidizing climate change. Every year, the fossil economy enjoys at least 55 billion € of public subsidies in Europe. Taxpayers’ money need to be invested towards the ecological transition of the economy (sustainable transport, renewable energy, energy savings, energy and resource efficiency, agro-ecology)
2.  Climate proof of all investments in the EU now, so that every single euro invested in the future serves projects that are truly sustainable instead of being locked-in environmentally and climate damaging activities.
3. Put a fair price on carbon. Through revised ETS, carbon tax and border adjustment for imported emissions, ensure that the biggest polluters, such as aviation, maritime shipping, energy producers and the heavy industry start to pay their share in the fight against climate change. This would generate a revenue of 28bn/year.
4. Deliver tax justice to shift the economic burden away from citizens and on to the polluters. Tackle broader corporate and individual income tax evasion and avoidance to improve public finance and offset economic costs to citizens and sustainable sectors. All revenues mist be re-invested in common goods, such as climate and the environment.
5. Support a just transition that leaves no one behind and mitigate social and economic hardship that may occur during the transition away from the fossil economy. Revenues from carbon pricing must be used to supporting economically the most vulnerable regions, communities, workers (training, up-skilling) and citizens for taking part in the transformation.
6. Sustainable Mobility- Fewer planes, more trains: end kerosene taxation exemption and introduce VAT on flights. Use the revenues to make trains more affordable, more frequent, better connected and more efficient, including revitalizing night trains and building regional connections across the EU. Shift freight transport from road to rail and water. More sustainable urban planning for more public transport and soft mobility solutions.
7.  Energy- Make citizens and communities part of the energy revolution: invest massively in the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions, to reach 100% renewables, while phasing out nuclear, coal and other fossil fuels. Tackle energy poverty and enable citizens and communities to produce, consume, store, sell and share their own energy. Refurbish the existing buildings stock to make them nearly zero-energy as soon as possible. Improve energy efficiency by 3% a year.
8. Agriculture and land use- Fund farms not factories and protect biodiversity: end factory farming, promote a pesticides-free Europe and significantly reduce the amount of livestock. Stop imports of crops responsible for massive deforestation (palm oil, soya). Grow more plants-based protein crops in the EU. Support large reforestation programmes domestically and internationally. Restore soils and preserve wetlands as carbon sinks. More green spaces in cities to improve urban living while also ensuring better adaptation to climate change.
9. Resource efficiency and circular economy: reduce primary raw material consumption and increase resource efficiency, shifting out the throwaway society, to become fully circular and resource sufficient by 2050. Ban planned obsolescence, adopt eco-design standards, increase durability, reusability, reparability of products including the right to repair.
10. Make all EU trade deals ‘Paris-proof and deliver climate justice worldwide: make future and present EU trade agreements compatible with the Paris Agreement through mandatory provisions, so that they do not undercut climate objectives but contribute positively to global solidarity and climate justice.

Summary

A Green Energy Union to achieve by 2030:

• Renewable energy electricity generation (70%),
• Energy efficiency improvements of at least 40%:
• Renovating 3% of existing buildings per year

Sustainable mobility

• Investing in railways, connecting European countries and regions with more accessible, more affordable and more frequent trains, including fast and night trains
• More public transport, sustainable urban planning and soft mobility solutions
• Freight transport: shift for from road to rail and water
• Electrification of transport system

Resource efficiency and circular economy:

• Resource efficiency of 30% by 2030
• Electrification towards 100% new renewable energy power

Sustainable land-use and food systems

• Protect and restore forests, soils and wetlands to act as habitats and carbon sinks
• Support shift to high quality, extensive, pasture-based animal production for EU needs (while reducing total farm animal population),
• Increase funding for growing plant based proteins in the EU;
• Replace GHG-intensive synthetic fertilizers with crop rotations including leguminous crops
• Support short food supply systems