EU Climate Action

The College of Commissioners and its counterparts from the Belgian Government met in the Egmont Palace in Brussels to discuss the priorities of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU that started on 1 January and will run until the end of June.

On 18 January, an agreement was reached between the European Parliament and Council on a provisional political agreement strengthening CO2 emissions standards for new heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) entering the EU market from 2030. The Regulation will set new ambitious CO2 emissions reduction targets for 2030, 2035 and 2040.

On 29 January strengthened rules on the use of fluorinated gases (F-gases) and ozone-depleting substances (ODS) were adopted, which currently represent over 3 percent of the EU's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With the conclusion of the legislative process, one more piece of the EU Green Deal has been completed.

The European Commission has approved a €2.9 billion French scheme for supporting investment in green industries to foster the transition towards a net-zero economy, in line with the Green Deal Industrial Plan.

The European Commission has approved a €902 million German measure to support Northvolt in the construction of a plant for the production of batteries for electric vehicles. In line with the Green Deal Industrial Plan, this will facilitate the move towards a carbon-neutral economy.

The European Commission has approved a €550 million Italian scheme to support investments for the use of hydrogen in industrial processes to promote the shift towards a carbon-neutral economy, aligned with the objectives of the Green Deal Industrial Plan.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) will take part in the project finance deal to support H2 Green Steel's large-scale production facility in Northern Sweden, backed by the European Union's InvestEU programme.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) has signed a €150 million cornerstone commitment to the White Summit Capital Decarbonisation Infrastructure Fund II (WDIF II), backed by the InvestEU programme.

LIFE Programme highlights in the next 12 months include new LIFE Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) and Strategic Nature Projects (SNAPs), results of the LIFE 2023 calls for proposals, and the LIFE Awards 2024, among others.

The Spanish city of Valencia has officially started as the European Green Capital 2024. To celebrate this achievement, over 400 activities and events are foreseen to reach all sectors of the city, from specialised audiences in sustainability, production, and business, to the residents of Valencia!

Our awareness of the consequences of climate change is growing, and so are the numbers of electric cars on our roads and solar panels on our rooftops. But we still have to do more, and faster. Here are a few examples from our Climate Pact Ambassadors on what this looks like on the ground!

The European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change has reported on progress towards the EU’s targets for 2030 and 2050. Main message? 🌍 Current EU policies put us on the path to climate neutrality, however, we now need more work to make it a reality!

Climate change and disinformation are global threats! The World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2024 makes that very clear. #Disinformation is perceived as the world’s biggest short-term risks by civil society, academia, governments and the businesses. However, in the long term, extreme weather is seen as the biggest danger, and climate-related risks account for 5 of the top 🔟 threats in the next decade.

As climate change receives more media attention, disinformation skyrockets 📈 False or misleading information is being spread intentionally to sow confusion around 🌍 science and solutions. Want to help tackle the issue? 🤔 Hit the "more" button to read 5️⃣ tips from our #EUClimatePact Ambassadors!

Global emissions are set to peak this decade, then fall to 2017 levels by 2030 and lead to a 3°C temperature rise by 2100 in a Reference scenario. To keep the 1.5°C target possible, massive investment in decarbonisation is needed in the current decade, according to the European Commission's Joint Research Centre.

Launched by the European Commission, the Pact is part of the European Green Deal and is helping the EU to meet its goal to become climate-neutral by 2050 | Check out the links below to visit the Pact website and subscribe to the Pact newsletter!