Climate Policy Roundtable meets to discuss emission reductions and role of energy taxation in achieving carbon neutrality

The Climate Policy Roundtable will hold its second meeting on Thursday 27 August. The main topics on the agenda are emission reductions and the role of energy taxation in terms of achieving carbon neutrality. The meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Sanna Marin.

According to the Annual Climate Report published in June 2020, the actions already taken or planned will not be sufficient for Finland to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. Earlier this spring the Government adopted a roadmap that will enable to reach the necessary emission reductions and meet the target

“To reach this target, contributions are needed from all sectors and operators. This is why it is so important to have this discussion at the Climate Policy Roundtable that is composed of a broad spectrum of stakeholders in society,” Prime Minister Sanna Marin says.

“At the climate meeting in Vuosaari last February the Government decided on a set of measures to catch up on emission reductions that are still lacking. The legislative proposals, tax reforms and action programmes related to this will be prepared during this and next year. These additional measures will also be included in the new Climate and Energy Strategy, Medium-term Climate Change Policy Plan and Climate Programme for the Land Use Sector,” says Krista Mikkonen, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and vice-chair of the Roundtable.

Professor Jyri Seppälä from the Finnish Climate Change Panel will first tell about where we now stand in terms of emission reductions.

Decisions on energy tax reform in the government budget session

The energy tax reform that is now under preparation, combined with the EU-wide emissions trading, has a significant role in promoting the carbon neutrality target. The package includes a sustainable taxation roadmap that will promote the climate targets in a way that is cost-efficient and will speed up the transition away from fossil fuels while also taking social justice into account.

“The first guidelines for future energy taxation will be decided in the autumn budget session, and then the work will continue. Investments in emission reductions in the industrial sector require predictable taxation, which is why we must look beyond government terms when deciding on energy taxation. At the meeting our time horizon will be 10 to 15 years,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä, who took over the second vice-chairmanship of the roundtable from Katri Kulmuni.

An introduction to the topic will be presented by Leo Parkkonen, Senior Ministerial Adviser for Legislative Affairs at the Ministry of Finance.

The Government appointed the Climate Policy Roundtable on 27 February 2020 to bring together a broad spectrum of stakeholders from different sectors of society. The purpose of the roundtable is to create a common understanding of how Finland can make a just transition to a carbon neutral society even faster than envisaged so far. With its work, the roundtable supports the preparation and implementation of Finland’s national climate policy.

• Climate Policy Roundtable (ym.fi)

Inquiries:

Matti Niemi, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, tel. +358 295 160 165, [email protected]

Riikka Yliluoma, Special Adviser to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, tel. +358 295 250 091, [email protected]

Antti Siika-aho, Special Adviser to the Minister of Economic Affairs, tel. +358 50 575 4118, [email protected]

Merja Turunen, Senior Ministerial Adviser, Secretary-General of the Climate Policy Roundtable, tel. +358 295 250 387, [email protected]