How to Raise Europe’s Climate Ambitions for 2030

On 4 March 2020, the European Commission proposed a Climate Law setting out a legal framework to steer Europe towards the 2050 greenhouse gas-neutrality target. The Commission also announced that by September 2020 it will present a comprehensive plan for increasing the EU’s 2030 climate target to at least 50 per cent and towards 55 per cent compared with 1990 levels.

This report explores options for increasing the EU’s 2030 climate ambition to -55 per cent economywide. What are sensible adjustments to the EU’s climate policy architecture? What are the respective roles of the EU Emissions Trading System and of national emission reduction targets for sectors outside the ETS (transport, buildings, agriculture, waste, parts of industry)? What options exist for EU Member States to achieve faster and deeper cuts in emissions by 2030?