By: UKOM
Tomorrow, the EU ministers responsible for the environment and climate change will meet in Luxembourg. This will be their first meeting chaired by the Slovenian Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Andrej Vizjak.
It is expected that the ministers will adopt Council conclusions on the position to be held and mandate to be carried out by the EU and its member states at the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), which is set to take place in Glasgow in November.
“The Slovenian Presidency supports further discussion on EU’s climate ambitions and on strengthening global climate ambitions, as this is the only way to achieve the goal of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Achieving progress also involves the mandate for negotiations on finishing the rulebook for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The current nationally determined contributions do not enable the long-term targets of the Paris Agreement to be reached. Therefore, the countries will need to strengthen their national climate policies appropriately,” has said Andrej Vizjak, Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning.
The ministers will also hold their first formal discussion on the “Fit for 55” legislative package, whose aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The package consists of related proposals whose common goal is to ensure a just, competitive and green transition. The main challenge of the green transition is ensuring that these benefits are available to all, as soon and as fairly as possible, while reinforcing the EU’s competitiveness, creating jobs fit for the future and finding effective solutions for the costs and impact of the transition.
The ministers will exchange opinions on the recently published EU forest strategy for 2030, which replaces the strategy from 2013. The aim of the new strategy is to address the challenges faced by forests and to discover and maintain their potential for our future. The commitments and actions proposed will contribute to achieving the EU goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
At a working lunch, the ministers will talk about the preparations for the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
On the proposal of Poland and Greece, under any other business, the ministers will also discuss the increase in energy prices in Europe.
Source: gov.si