C 152/196
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
6.4.2022
4.7.
Member States are allowed to exclude from the accounting emissions caused by natural extreme events like storms, fires or insect outbreaks.
Improved monitoring of natural disturbances in forests is urgently needed in order to ensure correct and effective application of the natural disturbance provision, which is technically demanding but extremely important.
Reporting obligations for each Member State need to follow a standardised protocol that would ensure efficient collection and interpretation of data and efficient policy implementation and planning. 4.8.
Data analysis is mainly based on the National Forest Inventories in each Member State, which are uncorrelated and sometimes incomplete or inaccurate.
Furthermore, NFI inventories are not done frequently in all Member States.
The EESC appreciates the Commission’s proposal to pursue a comprehensive assessment of the national inventory data in 2025, with the purpose of setting accurate targets for the period 2026-2030. 4.9.
Support for R & D for more sustainable production of woody biomass is needed.
The EESC has already pointed out that ‘intensive research and innovation, as well as rewards for the proven creation of carbon sinks, are needed to support these sectors’ (14).
The EESC also considers that every Member State should devise a designated tax incentive system that would facilitate the transition and recommends making full use of the available CAP funding. 4.10.
Upskilling and reskilling programmes for entrepreneurs and workers are also needed in order to ensure access to the newest available technologies and digital skills that enhance sustainability.
The European Green Deal agenda can only succeed if it is accompanied by education and training programmes that can boost the skills of European workers, while ensuring competitiveness and social fairness.
Therefore, the EESC calls for the social partners and relevant civil society organisations to be fully involved in both the planning and implementation phases of the package. 4.11.
The EESC considers that SMEs need a tailor-made supportive legislative framework that would help them innovate, scale up and grow sustainably.
While there are several funding opportunities for financing adaptation, the EESC calls again for ‘more clarity on the different options, as well as user-friendly procedures to ensure timely access to financing for actors at a practical level’ (15). 4.12.
Finally, the EESC is worried that the social dimension of implementing the European Green Deal (through the Fit for 55 legislative package) is not being taken into account and that members of the public will be affected the most as they will have to change their cars, pay more to heat their homes, pay more for the cheapest holiday flights and so on.
The EESC therefore expresses real concern about the higher bills that households will have to pay after the Fit for 55 package has been implemented.
The EESC also firmly believes that, during this transition, special attention needs to be paid to the regions, industries and workers that will face the greatest challenges and that the transition must be ‘implemented through a competitive, socially fair and multilateral approach and that appropriate tools must be put in place to achieve full involvement and acceptance of civil society, including all citizens, businesses and organisations’ (16).
Brussels, 8 December 2021.
The President of the European Economic and Social Committee Christa SCHWENG
(14) (15) (16)
EESC opinion on Forging a climate-resilient Europe — the new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change (OJ C 374, 16.9.2021, p. 84).
EESC opinion on Forging a climate-resilient Europe — the new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change.
EESC opinion on a Clean Planet for all A European strategic long-term vision for a prosperous, modern, competitive and climate neutral economy (OJ C 282, 20.8.2019, p. 51).