Debate: Presentation of the Fit for  package after the publication of the IPCC report
Date: TUESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2021
Speaker: Anže Logar
Language: EN

I recently received a group of Slovenian children that have to go through this disease, and they gave me this golden ribbon. As there is a COVID restriction they couldn’t bring those golden ribbons to you here so they asked me to bring them to you in order to send support for them, a good message for them, and we will distribute these to you. And they will be very glad and very happy if they see you on your social media or any kind as support from you. So I look forward to this support and the Slovenian Presidency will do its utmost to support this fight against cancer.  Mr President, honourable Members, thank you for inviting me to speak on this crucial topic. Recent natural disasters across Europe are a stark reminder to everyone that climate change and its effects are something felt not only in far-away countries, but as well in other continents. According to data from the European Environment Agency, the average temperature in Europe has been 2.2 degrees Celsius higher over the last five years than it was at the end of the 19th century. 2020 was the warmest year ever recorded in Europe. It is estimated that between 1980 and 2019, over 85 000 people in the EU lost their lives due to extreme weather and climate-related events. The final loss is caused by extreme weather and climate-related events exceeded EUR 419 billion in the EU27 over the last 40 years. This is significantly more than what the EU spent over two years on all its policies and programmes, and this summer we yet again received a report from IPCC reminding us of the global challenge.  The IPCC findings indicate that human activities have altered the environment at an unprecedented pace, with the unavoidable consequence that catastrophic impacts lie ahead unless the world rapidly and dramatically cuts greenhouse gas emissions.  For Europe, the report predicts an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Higher temperatures and intensified weather events will also result in huge costs for the EU’s economy and hamper countries’ ability to produce food. But faced by dramatic events and figures and equipped with scientific knowledge, I believe the EU is stepping up the challenge. We have pledged to be the first climate-neutral continent. The climate law adopted this year by Parliament and the Council set us on a firm path to climate neutrality by 2050. Our ambition is firmly anchored in the climate mainstreaming of EU policies and set out in the Green Deal and underpinned by the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027 and the COVID-19 recovery plans.  The Fit for 55 legislative package presented by the Commission on 14 July this year represents the moment of delivery of our ambition. The discussions in the Council are framed by the principles agreed by the Council in December 2020 and reaffirmed in May 2021. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Commission for the enormous amount of work done to deliver this package. We are only at the beginning of the examination of the many proposals made by the Commission. It is too early to make statements on how the debate will unfold. However, it is clear that when discussing the package a number of overarching dimensions will have to be considered, including the ability of the package to deliver on our ambitions and be effective in decarbonising our economy and societies.  We also have to consider the package’s contribution to future-proofing our economy. Does it deliver on the opportunity to use the green transformation to reinforce the EU’s leadership in innovative green technology to create new jobs and strengthen the competitiveness of European industry, while ensuring a level playing field on global markets? Does the package represent the right policy mix in providing the right incentives to decarbonise the economy by stimulating investment and uptake of new technologies that can secure business and jobs? Well, we should openly discuss that. Furthermore, since increased climate ambition is not without costs, we will need to analyse whether this package ensures a fair distribution of the burden between economic sectors and Member States, but also within the individual Member States themselves.  Here I want to underline the need to take a hard look at the socioeconomic impact of measures and how best to address it. Having said that, ambition, economy and fair burden-sharing are not opposites. They need to go hand in hand.  The Commission has presented a set of interconnected proposals that, as a package, aim to contribute to deliver ambition in a balanced way. In our eagerness to find a solution on individual files, we should not forget to zoom out and look at the overall picture and at whether the package as a whole delivers. Today’s debate provides a good occasion for this. Of course Europe alone will not be able to rise effectively to the challenges set in the Paris Agreement. The EU is currently emitting less than 10% of global emissions and, while we have a downward trajectory, other economies are still increasing their emissions, but we have a responsibility to lead by example.  There are some positive developments at international level, such as the recent announcement made by the USA and China to commit to reach climate neutrality respectively by 2050 and 2060. But it is not sufficient. We need to go further. Every country has to draw a credible pathway towards climate neutrality if we want to preserve our collective chances to stay below 1.5%. In this regard, COP26 in Glasgow will be a test of our collective commitment to fulfill the long-term temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. We are actively preparing for this major event where we intend to emphasise the extreme urgency to act to keep the 1.5-degrees Celsius goal within reach.  Mr President, honourable Members, for the Slovenian Presidency, the proposals in the Fit for 55 legislative package are top priority, and we have embarked on an ambitious work programme aiming to make as much progress as possible, thereby laying a solid foundation on the way towards finding agreement on the proposal within the Council. Delivering on the EU 2030 target and the Fit for 55 package will be crucial. It will be Europe’s contribution to meet the global challenges of climate change and it will be our opportunity to lead by example while future-proofing our own economy and ensuring prosperity for European citizens, leaving no one behind. It is our joint responsibility to get it right. Let us, Parliament and Council, as co—legislators, roll up our sleeves and get to work. Thank you for your attention.