What is the European Green Deal?

The European Green Deal, which was adopted in 2020, represents a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the main goal of achieving climate neutrality for the European Union (EU) by 2050. The plan includes an assessment of all existing legislative measures from the point of view of their impact on the climate and the introduction of new legislation related to the circular economy, building renovation, biodiversity, agriculture and innovation. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called this agreement a "man-on-the-moon moment" for Europe. On 13 December 2019, the European Council decided to continue the implementation of the plan, but with an exception for Poland. The European Parliament subsequently expressed support for the agreement on January 15, 2020 and asked for higher ambitions. The following year, the European Climate Act was passed, stipulating that greenhouse gas emissions should fall by 55 % by 2030 compared to 1990. The "Fit for 55" package of legislation is an extensive set of planned legislation detailing how The EU intends to achieve this goal.

The European Commission's Climate Change Strategy, launched in 2020, aims to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, aiming to demonstrate that economies can grow without increasing resource use. In addition, the Green Deal includes measures to support countries that are heavily dependent on fossil fuels so that they do not fall behind in the transition to renewable energy sources. The ecological transition thus becomes a priority for Europe, with EU member states committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 % by 2030 compared to 1990 and to become climate neutral by 2050.

In July 2021, the European Commission presented the "Fit for 55" legislative package, which sets out key directives for the future of the automotive sector, including the obligation that all new cars sold in the EU from 2035 must have zero emissions.

In relation to the Paris Agreement, there has been a reduction in EU emissions of 25 % from 1990 to 2019, while the target of 55 % based on 1990 is actually a reduction of 40 %, which can be calculated using the formula: (0.55 – 0.25) / (1 – 0.25) = 0.40 = 40 %. According to the 2020 Emissions Report by the United Nations Environment Programme, meeting the Paris Agreement target of 1.5°C temperature increase (with a probability of 66 %) requires a global reduction in CO2 emissions of 57 % by 2030 compared to levels from 2019, which is significantly above the 40 % target of the European Green Agreement. This target of reducing emissions by 57 % by 2030 represents an average global reduction, with advanced economies expected to contribute even more. (Co2AI)