EC welcomes ambitious agreement on key legislation to cut down greenhouse gas emissions

 The agreement follows the just recently agreed new rules on accounting of emissions from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF), see IP/17/5286. Taken together, these are central building blocks in EU climate policy and its drive for Europe's transition to a low-carbon economy. Both proposals form part of the implementation of the Juncker Commission priorities for "a resilient Energy Union and a forward-looking climate change policy" and cover over 50% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the EU. They play thus a decisive role in meeting the EU's commitment under the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions by at least 40% till 2030, compared to 1990 levels. These agreements, together with the recently endorsed revision of the EU emissions trading system (ETS) after 2020 (see IP/17/4501), mean that the legal framework of the EU's 2030 climate policy is now in place. It shows that the work towards the completion of the Energy Union is on track and that the work initiated by the Juncker Commission is being delivered. Energy Union Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič said: "This is one of the final significant steps towards completion of the EU's 2030 climate policy framework, which will enable us to not only deliver on our Paris Agreement commitment but also to achieve the goals of the Energy Union." Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete added: "This is proof of Europe's intention to stay at the forefront of global climate action, by delivering at home. I thank the Parliament and Council for their work to reach this ambitious outcome. Negotiations have further strengthened our tools to deliver on our Paris commitment. The agreement on the Effort Sharing Regulation puts us firmly on track to achieve our 2030 climate target".

 The provisional agreement was reached by written procedure following the 3rd Trilogue between the Parliament, Council and Commission. Read full STATEMENT/17/5382.