A Climate Change Plan Called “Fit for 55”

The European Union is committed to taking the lead in the global fight against climate change.

How to make the European Union and its economy clean, cyclical and climate-neutral – an EU-level ambition has been formulated. Europe’s transition to carbon neutrality is a huge opportunity. All 27 EU Member States have committed themselves to achieving climate neutrality on the continent, being the first in the world, by 2050.
At the meeting of the European Council in December 2019, EU leaders have acknowledged the Commission’s communication on a European Green Deal and have confirmed that they will achieve climate neutrality by 2050. This reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to taking a leading role in the global fight against climate change.
On 14 July 2021, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, presented a climate change plan called “Fit for 55”, which aims to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in the European Union.
An intermediate step towards this for the European Union is to reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, as the Regulation on a European Climate Law sets out. All of this will help to implement the European Green Deal and, together, will let Europe to become truly climate-neutral by 2050, i.e. to completely neutralize greenhouse gas emissions through its activities.

The package consists of new legislative proposals as well as amendments to existing EU legislation.

The main objectives of the proposal are:

  • extending the application of emissions trading to new sectors and tightening the current EU emissions trading scheme;
  • increasing the use of renewable energy;
  • greater energy efficiency;
  • speeding up the implemention of low-emission transport-, infrastructure- and fuel policies;
  • aligning tax policies with the objectives of the European Green Deal;
  • measures to prevent carbon leakage;
  • tools for conserving and enhancing natural carbon sinks.

The main areas for action are:

  • renewable energy;
  • energy efficiency;
  • more alternative fuels, more charging stations for electric vehicles;
  • energy taxation;
  • carbon duty on certain imported goods;
  • greenhouse gas emissions, taking all sectors of the economy;
  • greenhouse gas absorption, e.g. by forests;
  • ensuring a fair transition.

The essence of the package of proposals is that all major economic sectors, – e.g. transport, construction, energy – must take a major role, taking a new path of growth. The Commission envisages that the emission reductions needed to avoid an ecological disaster and the associated radical transformation will create jobs, foster innovation and growth, reduce external energy dependency and improve security of supply.

And overall, it improves our health and well-being.

Before immersing into the more complex subject of EU legislation, let us first look at why the fight against climate change is so urgent. The increasing accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere – for example by burning fossil fuels – is leading to a warming of the planet’s surface, which affects the environment. By rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we can reduce the risk of a drastic and dangerous climate change.

On our blog, we are looking for answers to what we can do as an average citizen to avoid a climate catastrophe and how we can contribute to a sustainable future.

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