During the plenary session (12-15/11/18) of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, new ambitious binding 2030 targets for renewables (32%) and energy efficiency (32.5%) are put to the vote to fight climate change. The new law also stipulates that some types of food-crop biofuels will be phased out, in a move towards second-generation biofuels. Statement by Michèle RIVASI (Greens/EFA, FR) and Jakop DALUNDE (Greens/EFA, SE), rapporteurs. Illustrative shots of wind energy, biogaz and sustainable energy house

statement

Strasbourg

plenary session

energy efficiency (T)

renewable energy (T)

biofuels (T)

DALUNDE, Jakop G. (Greens/EFA, SE, Greens/EFA, DE, SE)

RIVASI, Michèle (Greens/EFA, FR)

fight against climate change (T)

Clean Energy package: statement by Michèle RIVASI (Greens/EFA, FR) and Jakop DALUNDE (Greens/EFA, SE), rapporteurs, and illustrative shots

SOUNDBITE (French), Mich&#232;le RIVASI (Greens/EFA, FR), If we want to match the Paris Agreement, we need to achieve in 2050 and we as Parliament we were even opting for 2040 for a net zero emission, that means that what we emit in the atmosphere need to be absorbed back in a way or another with carbon well. If we want to achieve our goal we need by 2030 more ambitious targets than what we have voted today. Where it is already now a success, the European Parliament went beyond the Council and Commission position. We have a real dynamic, where I&rsquo;m very much satisfied is that for once it is a real European project. You see that all member states agreed with the Commission and the Council so that there is safeguard of the planet, the safeguard of Humanity, that there is energy independence, and that there is the job creation due to clean energy research and development at European level.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jakop DALUNDE (Greens/EFA, SE), I would say the biggest success is that European Union has now agreed on that we need to go to net zero emissions. Before that, we&rsquo;ve only had incremental targets towards 2030, but now we are saying net zero. We sadly could not agree on a specific date, I would have wanted, for example 2040. Now we are just agreed on that we should go ton net zero. And that the Commission has to present a strategy on how to get there. And within that strategy we finally introduce the concept of carbon budgets, which is a milestone in terms of climate legislation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jakop DALUNDE, So, it is actually a good news for many companies because they would have a much better opportunity to plan for their investments for the future. Because, if climate policy is only incremental, small changes from one year to another, how would big companies know what the rules would be for the coming decades. How would they be able to know, that the investment that they are doing, that they will be profitable for the future? So this is a good step for European industries and for companies. So that they know and they invest in a new clean technology. They know that will be profitable to be part of the green transition.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jakop DALUNDE (Greens/EFA, SE), Now there will be a similar requirement on European climate ministers to make sure that the climate ambitions and the climate policy are coherent. And this hasn&rsquo;t really happened before. It has been too easy for European politicians to say, that you subscribed to the Paris goals, that we want to stop climate change, but at the same time not do the action, that is required for us to get there. And the push for that will be stronger from now on.

Vote results on rapport Poche. Total voters: 575, In favour: 434, against: 104, Abstentions: 37. Adopted.

Vote on the Rapport Rivasi, Dalunde. Results: Total voters: 608, In favour: 475, Against: 100, Abstentions: 33. Adopted

Vote on the Rapport Blanco Lopez. Results: Total voters: 624, In favour: 495, Against: 68, Abstentions: 61. Adopted. 

Illustrative shots: wind energy, biogaz and sustainable energy house (15 shots) 