Leaked documents from the European People’s Party (EPP) show that they are planning to “seriously undermine” EU climate ambition, a European coalition of environmental groups has said.
Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe issued the warning yesterday after the documents emerged and noted that the EPP is calling for the use of international offsets, which would ultimately allow European polluters to continue “business as usual”.
Supporting such a proposal would be a “major step backwards” from the current Parliament’s position on the 2030 climate target, according to CAN Europe.
The proposal risks going as low as the “already, alarmingly insufficient” at least 40 per cent domestic emission cuts target the Commission had initially proposed, they added.
Last month, the European Commission proposed a new target of “at least” 55 per cent emissions reduction within the coming decade.
The European Parliament is set to vote on the bloc’s Climate Law this coming Tuesday and political groups have started to table amendments to be integrated into the final Law.