Regulation (EU) 2023/857

What it is

to amend Regulation (EU) 2018/842 (Effort Sharing Regulation – ESR) on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 contributing to climate action to meet commitments under the Paris Agreement. PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council. BACKGROUND: the EU put in place a regulatory framework to achieve the 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target of at least 40% as endorsed by the European Council in 2014, before the entry into force of the Paris Agreement. The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted the report by Jessica POLFJÄRD (EPP, SE) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council Amending Regulation (EU) 2018/842 on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 contributing to climate action to meet commitments under the Paris Agreement. The objective of the Commission's proposal is to revise the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) so that it contributes to the ambition to reach at least 55 percent net greenhouse gas emission reductions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels in a cost-effective and coherent way while taking into account the need for a just transition and the need for all sectors to contribute to the EU’s climate efforts. The aim is to achieve a gradual and balanced trajectory towards climate neutrality by 2050. The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows: Binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 and beyond The Regulation lays down obligations on Member States with respect to their minimum contributions for the period from 2021 to 2030 towards fulfilling the Union’s target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 % below 2005 levels in 2030 in the sectors covered by the ESR. It would contribute to the long-term target of climate neutrality in the Union by 2050 at the latest, with the aim to achieve negative emissions thereafter. Members wanted to make it clear that the regulation does not just cover the period up to 2030 but goes beyond that. The amended regulation sets Member States' annual emission allowances for the whole period 2023-2030, unlike the Commission's plan to readjust them in 2025, and changes the way the linear trajectory is defined. An amendment clarifies that only biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels that meet the sustainability and greenhouse gas emission savings criteria set out in Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council can be considered net zero emission. Measures taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions should be implemented in accordance with a just and inclusive transition . The Commission should adopt common guidelines identifying methods to assist Member States in implementing this just and inclusive transition. Members want to establish a clear link…

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