EU Environment Ministers to discuss EU 2040 climate target
The EU Environment Ministers will convene in Brussels on Monday 25 March to discuss the EU 2040 climate target. Minister of Climate and the Environment Kai Mykkänen will represent Finland in Brussels.
Finland supports the Commission’s proposal to set a 90% net emission reduction target for 2040
In the beginning of February, the European Commission issued a Communication concerning the climate target for 2040 and a Communication on Industrial Carbon Management. Finland has worked hard to comprehensively influence the content of the communications already before they were published. Influencing the content of the Communication on Europe’s 2040 climate target was one of the three Government-level priorities for this year.
Finland supports the Commission’s proposal to set a 90% net emission reduction target for the EU for 2040, which covers both emission reductions and carbon sinks. At the same time, Finland stresses that the key focus in the implementation should be on cost-effective emission reductions. The legislation implementing the target should take into account the current situation and uncertainties in the land use sector. According to the Commission Communication, industrial carbon management technologies will have an important role in achieving the climate targets.
“In accordance with our Government Programme, we want to make use of technological development to achieve emission reductions, and to improve the position of nuclear power. Finland will actively promote the extensive introduction of technical sinks. From the Finnish perspective, it is particularly important to create incentives for the recovery of biogenic carbon dioxide and calculation rules in the EU regulation that will promote investments,” Minister Mykkänen says.
In addition, the ministers will have a policy debate on the proposal to revise the directive concerning textile and food waste and the regulation on preventing plastic pellet losses. Finland supports the Commission’s target to reduce food waste, but considers that legally binding targets would be a challenge for Finnish households. The food waste reduction target in the households should only concern food loss, i.e. the edible parts of food waste (and not vegetable peels, for example). Finland also supports the producer responsibility schemes for textile waste as a means to reduce the environmental burden caused by textile production and consumption. In the implementation of producer responsibility for textile waste Finland calls for the possibility to continue the collection of reusable textiles in the same way as at present.
Inquiries
Lyydia Ylönen
Special Adviser to Minister Mykkänen
tel. +358 50 476 1341
[email protected]
EU 2040 climate target
Laura Aho
Ministerial Adviser
tel. +358 295 250 135
[email protected]