The European Commission has adopted an official communication reaffirming its commitment to strong EU climate change mitigation measures.
The EU is the world’s first major economy to enshrine its commitments under the Paris climate agreement into law; and is largely on track to realise its ambition of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. A Eurobarometer survey published this week found that 93% of EU residents recognised climate change as a serious problem. The Commission’s adoption of the communication, which highlights EU climate change efforts to date, comes in advance of its attendance at the United Nations (UN) Secretary General’s Climate Action Summit, to be held in New York on 23 September.
Commission Vice President for the Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič said: “With the Paris agreement, for the first time all parties committed to reduce emissions. Now we must make sure these reductions are timely enough to avoid the worst of the climate crisis. The European Union will bring to New York the fruit of our work on the Energy Union: a realistic perspective of a climate neutral Europe by 2050, backed by ambitious policies set in binding legislation. The EU has ensured that all sectors contribute to the transition. At the Climate Action Summit, we hope our plans will inspire other countries, and we hope to be inspired. Our message is simple: Europe delivers.”
Miguel Arias Cañete, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, said: “The European Union has a powerful story to tell at the UN Climate Summit later this month. We are a global climate leader and our climate action is an outstanding example of delivery, including in the context of our Long Term Strategy process. The EU’s approach is to ensure that climate ambition is not only about headline targets, but about actual delivery on our promises, about making sure that objectives will be fulfilled and emissions reductions will happen. As shown by the EU-wide survey published today, our approach has a very strong mandate from our citizens. I am proud to share these messages also in New York.”
