Support for farmers and forest owners to create sinks / European Commission about to include EPP-priorities in the “Fit for 55“-proposal


“I am very happy that, according to the leaks and other information available on the ‘Fit for 55’-proposal, the European Commission is about to include many of the EPP-priorities for the ‘Fit for 55’ package,” said Peter Liese, environmental spokesperson for the largest group in the European Parliament (EPP/Christian Democrats).

Next Wednesday, the European Commission will present its long-awaited proposals to implement the 2030 climate target of net-55% with concrete actions. More than twelve concrete legislative proposals are to be presented. Most of them fall in the remit of the Environment Committee. “As far as I understood, the European Commission will make an ambitious proposal for the support of farmers and forest owners to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, for example, through afforestation. The methodology is designed to support farmers and forest owners through the common agriculture policy as well as private money through a carbon credit system. I very much welcome this idea. Climate neutrality can only be achieved if we not only reduce emissions but also remove carbon from the atmosphere, that is why it is so important to have a net target,” said Liese.



He also welcomed some ideas of the Commission on the decarbonisation of the industry: “Modern technologies like green hydrogen will be promoted, amongst others, by Contracts for Difference which means: companies that invest in breakthrough technologies like CO2-free production of steel, can be eligible for much more public and private money than before. The ETS will be changed so that the rules are more technology-neutral and companies that invest in breakthrough technologies will benefit from free allowances. By this change, a huge amount of private money can be mobilized to finance the necessary breakthrough technologies.”

Increasing the focus on market-based measures is the top priority of the long-standing MEP: “Most important for me is that the Commission will propose a new ETS for road transport and heating. The increase of ambition (25% to 55% net in less than 10 years) is only possible if everyone who invests in climate-friendly technology, will be rewarded and there is a clear market signal that any investment in this regard will pay off. Relying only on command-and-control measures, like Greens and others promote, will increase the costs dramatically and will not give us the necessary resources to address social issues so that we can compensate especially those parts of the population that are challenged the most.”

Finally, Liese very much welcomed the fact that the European Commission tends to include maritime emissions in the ETS: “I have pushed for this for many years now. It is unfair that all parts of economy are subject to ambitious standards and the maritime industry is not really contributing.”

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