What will Brussels do to reduce emissions in Europe

Von der Leyen will unveil the European plan to accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions on Wednesday: he wants Europe to become a pioneer of decarbonisation

It is a great week for environmental policy in Brussels. On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will formally unveil the bloc's ambitions to accelerate the reduction of emissions to at least 55% in 2030 (compared to 1990 levels) – writes the FT .

The goal is the most significant milestone in the EU's drive to achieve its goal of becoming the world's first zero-carbon continent by 2050. This is a transition that, if achieved, will impact food that Europeans eat, on the cars they drive and on the houses they live in.

According to a leaked draft of the Commission's proposed climate strategy, Brussels wants to use all available political levers to become a "pioneer" on the road to net zero.

The path to decarbonisation will involve increasing renewable energy targets, significantly expanding a cap-and-trade carbon credit system for companies, and imposing stricter CO2 targets on European auto industry in the next decade.

Ms von der Leyen promises to put these big legislative updates on the table by the first half of next year – including car emissions standards that will specify when the latest combustion engine is due to roll out of a European showroom.

But before the president takes the podium in the European Parliament on Wednesday morning, MEPs will grapple for the first time with the reality of what the EU's “pioneering” ambition means in practice. He will vote there on Tuesday to approve the creation of a Transition Fund of just € 17.5 billion that allocates money to the poorest and most fossil fuel-dependent regions of the EU.

MEPs are divided on whether to allow governments to use the money to finance gas infrastructure in Europe. Although classified as a "low carbon" energy source, and thus a stepping stone to ending dependence on fossil fuels, environmental groups want the gas to be eliminated rather than expanded. Greens in parliament, along with a number of NGOs, want MEPs to reject a project agreed by the parliament's regional commission that would allow the JTF to finance natural gas projects.

At its core, the debate revolves around money, jobs and the fiercely protected rights of governments to choose their national energy mix. For now, there is no parliamentary majority to eliminate gas funding from the JTF. Parliament officials think the most likely compromise will be the inclusion of gas financing under certain conditions – including helping to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Tuesday's JTF vote is a taste of the future in Brussels. The real compromises and harsh realities around the commission's grand ambitions to go green will be felt for many years to come.

(Extract from the foreign press review by Eprcomunicazione )