Background

EP seals climate change package

Environment - 17-12-2008 - 12:37 update

After eleven months of legislative work the European Parliament gave its backing to the EU's climate change package. The package aims to ensure that the EU will achieve its climate targets by 2020: a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 20% improvement in energy efficiency, and a 20% share for renewables in the EU energy mix. This background note gives an overview of the legislation required.

Ahead of Parliament's first-reading vote, MEPs had reached informal agreements with the French Presidency of the Council on the six proposals which all fell under the co-decision procedure, placing the European Parliament and Council on an equal footing as co-legislators.

Following the votes in Parliament's Environment and Industry committees in September and October 2008 and several rounds of informal negotiations, Parliament's delegations achieved informal agreements with the French Presidency of the Council on all six proposals:

- the revision of the EU Emission Trading Scheme - EP Rapporteur Avril Doyle (EPP-ED, IE),

- the effort-sharing decision - EP rapporteur Satu Hassi (Greens/EFA, FI),

- the carbon capture and storage (CCS) legal framework - EP rapporteur Chris Davies (ALDE, UK),

- the renewable energies directive - EP rapporteur Claude Turmes (Greens/EFA, LU),

- the regulation on CO2 emissions from cars - EP rapporteur Guido Sacconi (PES, IT), and

- the fuel quality directive - EP rapporteur Dorette Corbey (PES, NL).