Will Finland Save the EU’s Reputation?

27 June 2019

Climate is a clear priority for Finland, who takes over the presidency of the EU Council this Monday. At the national level, Finland is aiming high: to be carbon neutral by 2035 and to achieve net negative emissions shortly thereafter. Respect! Finland also supports increasing the ambition of the EU’s NDC to -55% by 2030 (from 1990 levels).

In fact, ECO hears that one of Finland’s main presidency priorities will be to strengthen the EU’s position as a global leader on climate action. And if not now, then when?  

What matters now is significant emission reductions in the short-term. The UN Secretary General puts it very clearly in his call for the Climate Action Summit in September: unless we cut global emissions in half by 2030, we will not be able to avoid devastating climate impacts. He calls on the EU to improve its severely inadequate 2030 target and reduce emissions 55% below 1990 levels by 2030. ECO agrees that would be an improvement, but believes the EU can consider doing even better and move to cut emissions at least 65% in order to contribute its fair share of reaching the 1.5°C target and respect the Paris Agreement’s objectives.

Historically, the EU has often been there, at crunch times, to push global climate ambition forward. ECO can’t believe that the EU would really consider going to the Climate Action Summit empty-handed!