The COP21 Paris Agreement has legally binding obligations on stocktaking and transparency, but not on emission targets: only the “well below 2°C” limit on global temperature rise. Even with all the major COP21 pledges (INDCs), and regardless of the EU’s own ambitious targets, global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions will increase by 2030.

The EU’s proposed target for 2030, if reached, would see the Union’s GHG emissions fall to just 6% of the global total. And yet, global emissions still rise: the planet is not saved. The proposed EU ETS reductions would mean that emissions from the sectors covered must drop to zero by 2058. The stark reality of this proposal is that Europe would be devoid of all energy-intensive industries and perhaps have little left in the way of manufacturing industry. Jobs and emissions would be outsourced to every other region of the world.

A less ambitious climate target, achieved by making efficiency improvements across the whole economy and including transport into the EU ETS, could put Europe on a better path. EURACOAL calls on President Tusk and all 28 EU leaders to reject the 40% target and to adopt a less ambitious, more realistic target that can deliver more for Europe, as described in our white paper, “Why less climate ambition would deliver more for the EU“.

The letter from EURACOAL President Cieslik is available in all the working languages of the EU: Bulgarian; Croatian; Czech; Danish; Dutch; English; Estonian; Finnish; French; German; Greek; Hungarian; Italian; Latvian; Lithuanian; Polish; Portuguese; Romanian; Slovak; Slovenian; Spanish; Swedish.

EURACOAL’s analysis of the possible vote in the Council shows that, for example, either Greece AND Romania, OR Spain, OR the UK must vote against, assuming that the Visegrád Group is united in its opposition to the 40% target. Note also that a Member State must ask for the old qualified majority vote (QMV) rule to be used, otherwise more Member States would have to vote against.