Climate – Go beyond goal setting

Luxembourg, 18 September 2020 – FEDIL supports the message of BusinessEurope[1] on European climate ambitions. The federation particularly agrees with the comments of Markus J. Beyrer, Director General of BusinessEurope, regarding the means to achieve the climate ambitions announced by the European Commission:

“Our common European ambition to become climate neutral inevitably drives the acceleration of emissions reduction. But to be successful, it must be underpinned by a strong EU industry strategy, that considers the unprecedented economic impact of Covid-19 and does not lose sight of the international situation.

We will therefore carefully check the impact assessment to understand whether the European Commission puts forward a credible business plan to reach this ambition cost-effectively and to take account of the economic logic.

The 2030 target debate is not the most pressing issue for industry. As the International Energy Agency’s recent report found, most low-carbon technologies needed for a climate-neutral future are still in their prototype stage. The next big investment round to commercialise these will only begin around 2030.

The ‘how’ questions are the most important for us right now. The European Commission needs to answer how we’ll mobilise green investments, ensure enough cheap green energy for our industries and assure a global level playing field. How can we bring society at large on board?” (Markus J. Beyrer, “2030 climate target must be aligned with strong EU industry strategy”)

FEDIL is also convinced that certain questions need to be answered, such as the mobilisation of the necessary financing, the availability of sufficient quantities of zero-carbon energy or the need for a global level playing field, in order to successfully achieve the climate objectives up to the year 2030.

René Winkin, Director of FEDIL, added: “While rapid and substantial investments in climate protection are an integral part of the European recovery plan, political actors will have to ensure that the political objectives are achieved without economic and social disruption in the exposed industrial sectors. »