Commission announces 2030 framework
The European Commission has begun developing a new framework for tackling climate change and energy resource problems. The EU institution adopted a green paper, which launches a public consultation on the content of the future structure.
Making the announcement, Connie Hedegaard, EU Commissioner for Climate Action, said: ”Europe’s dependence on foreign fossil fuels is growing every year. That means more expensive and unaffordable energy bills for Europeans. This is not very wise. It’s obviously not wise for the climate, but it’s also not wise for our economy and our competitiveness. That is why we have decided that in Europe we want a low-carbon society for 2050. We have targets for 2020, but for most investors 2020 is around the corner. It’s time to define the targets for 2030. The sooner we do that, the more certainty we get to our companies and our investors. And the more ambitious these targets are, the better for the climate.”
The Commission also published a Consultative Communication on the future of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Europe, aimed at initiating a debate on the options available to ensure its timely development.
The public consultation runs until 2 July 2013; the Commission intends to table the EU’s 2030 framework for climate and energy policies by the end of this year.
Tackling climate change is one of the six Societal Challenges in Horizon 2020.
