Soon the EU will have new laws on how to increase the share of sustainable fuels in the aviation sector as well as the share of renewable energy in the energy mix. On Friday 16 June, two important parts of the EU’s extensive Fit for 55 climate package were confirmed by EU ambassadors.
“This is hugely significant. With Friday’s Council agreement, the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union has succeeded in finalising the EU’s climate package. It will reduce the EU’s overall emissions by 55 per cent by 2030 and make Europe the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. This is a milestone in the global efforts to combat climate change,” says Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
The European Commission presented the Fit for 55 climate package in July 2021. It represents the EU’s most comprehensive initiative ever to accelerate the climate transition and reduce EU emissions. The package consists of concrete legislative proposals that constitute a plan for how the EU will achieve its climate target of 55 per cent emission reduction by 2030 in order to reach climate neutrality by 2050.
Under the leadership of the Swedish Presidency, the Council has reached agreements with the Parliament on:
- renewable energy;
- energy efficiency;
- expansion of charging infrastructure;
- sustainable maritime fuels; and
- sustainable aviation fuels.
During the Swedish Presidency the Council has adopted the following files:
- the Emission Trading System;
- the Social Climate Fund;
- the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism;
- the Effort Sharing Regulation;
- the Land Use, Land-use Change and Forestry Regulation; and
- stricter carbon dioxide emissions standards for cars and vans.
More information is available on the website of the Swedish Presidency here.