EU

Achieving a climate-neutral EU by 2050 becomes a legal obligation to all member states

Business Spirit News reporting — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 17:29:39 +0000

Achieving a climate-neutral EU by 2050 becomes a legal obligation to all member states

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Climate Change

Law

Europe

Climate Protection

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Newly adopted European climate law is entering into force, ensuring climate neutrality in the EU in alignment with the Paris Agreement.

The European Council ended the European climate law's adoption procedure and set into legislation the objective of a climate-neutral EU by 2050.

This step transforms the European Green Deal’s political commitment to EU climate neutrality by 2050 into a binding obligation, which means that the EU will aim for negative emissions afterwards.

Parliament rapporteur Jytte Guteland (S&D, Sweden) said:

“I am proud that we finally have a climate law.

We confirmed a net emissions reductions target of at least 55%, closer to 57% by 2030, according to our agreement with the Commission.

I would have preferred to go even further, but this is a good deal based on science that will make a big difference.

The EU must now reduce emissions more in the next decade than it has in the previous three decades combined, and we have new and more ambitious targets that can inspire more countries to step up.”

The new EU climate law is entering into force; image:Unsplash

The new law sets a binding Union climate target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions (emissions after deduction of removals) by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990.

By 30 September 2023, and every five years thereafter, the Commission will assess the collective progress made by all EU countries and the consistency of national measures towards the EU’s goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050.

Now that the European climate law has been adopted by both the European Parliament and the Council, citizens and businesses have the legal certainty and predictability they need to plan for this transition.

Given the importance of independent scientific advice, and based on a proposal from Parliament, a European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change will be set up to monitor progress and to assess whether European policy is consistent with these objectives.

In addition, an upcoming proposal from the Commission on the LULUCF Regulation (Land use and forestry regulation for 2021-2030) to regulate GHG emissions and removals from land use, land use change and forestry, will increase EU carbon sinks and will hence de facto increase the 2030 EU’s target to 57%.

At the same time, it will publish a projected indicative Union’s greenhouse gas budget for the period 2030-2050, together with its underlying methodology.

“I warmly welcome this final step of the adoption of the EU’s very first climate law, which enshrines into legislation the 2050 climate neutrality objective.

An agreement on the European climate law has been a priority for the Portuguese Presidency and I am glad that we have successfully brought it over the finishing line,” said João Pedro Matos Fernandes, Minister of Environment and Climate Action.

The Commission plans to present a series of proposals on 14 July 2021 in order for the EU to be able to reach the more ambitious 2030-target.

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New strategy for sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture

Anonymous — Tue, 18 May 2021 11:29:33 +0000

New strategy for sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture

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The Commission introduced new guidelines to make the EU aquaculture sector more resilient, increase competitiveness and improve climate performance within the industry.

The Commission introduced new strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture to contribute to the European Green Deal and, in particular, the Farm to Fork Strategy.

The new initiatives are designed to help further develop the EU aquaculture sector to become more resilient and increase competitiveness within the industry while improving its environmental and climate performance.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for environment, oceans and fisheries, said at the launch event in Brussels:

“Aquaculture has a growing role to play in the European food system.

The sector can offer healthy food with a climate and environmental footprint generally below that of land-based farming.

With the guidelines we adopted today, we want to position EU aquaculture production as the global reference for sustainability and quality, reduce our dependence on seafood imports and create more jobs, especially in coastal regions.”

Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius debates the EU's sustainable blue economy

One in four of every seafood product consumed in Europe comes from aquaculture.

However, most of the seafood consumption is covered by imports, making up around 60% of the total supply.

There is a sizeable market growth potential for businesses in this sector, given that only 10% of EU seafood consumption comes from EU aquaculture.

Despite these commercial prospects, EU aquaculture production has only increased by 6% since 2007, and the EU's contribution to world aquaculture production represented less than 2% of the global output in 2018 (Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, 2020).

EU Member States and stakeholders, notably those represented in the Aquaculture Advisory Council, prepared the guidelines and set four inter-related objectives for the further development of aquaculture in the Union:

Building resilience and competitiveness
Participating in the green transition
Ensuring social acceptance and consumer information
Increasing knowledge and innovation

Looking at the challenges and opportunities of the EU aquaculture sector, the guidelines propose specific actions on several areas, including access to space and water, human and animal health, environmental performance, climate change, animal welfare, regulatory and administrative framework, and communication on EU aquaculture.

As part of specific actions, the Commission proposes to develop detailed guidance documents regarding good practices in the most important areas.

A dedicated Aquaculture Assistance Mechanism is part of these plans to support the development of those guidance documents, as well as the implementation of showcased good practices.

The proposed guidelines will also support the substantial increase in organic aquaculture at the EU level, which feeds into the recently published Organic Farming Action Plan.

In recognition of the vital role, aquaculture plays in European food security, sustainable growth and employment, the Common Fisheries Policy foresees a system of strategic coordination of aquaculture policy in the EU.

The Commission invites EU Member States to consider these new guidelines in their Multiannual National Strategic Plans for the development of the aquaculture sector and their support to the industry under the future European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) and other EU funds.

Headline image: Harrison Haines from Pexels

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May 2021

EU Carbon Farming initiatives aim to fight climate change

Szilvia Szabó — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 09:22:13 +0000

EU Carbon Farming initiatives aim to fight climate change

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The Commission published the final report of a two-year study on setting up and implementing carbon farming in the EU.

Building on this study and other preparatory work – such as input from several EU-funded projects and events –, the Commission plans to launch the carbon farming initiative by the end of 2021.

The study “Technical Guidance Handbook – setting up and implementing result-based carbon farming mechanisms in the EU”, carried out from 2018 to 2020, explored key issues, challenges, trade-offs and design options to develop carbon farming.

The publication reviewed existing schemes about protecting and developing natural carbon sinks and explored how to trigger carbon farming in the EU.

It concludes that carbon farming brings benefits such as carbon sequestration and storage, increased biodiversity, and preservation of eco-systems.

The research also explored how widespread adoption of carbon farming can be triggered in the EU.

This recent study will serve as a guideline to help private actors and public authorities start increasing the number of carbon farming initiatives.

Technical Guidance Handbook – setting up and implementing result-based carbon farming mechanisms in the EU

Frans Timmermans Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal said:

“Our climate action must first and foremost reduce human-made emissions.

But we also need to restore and protect natural carbon sinks, so that we can capture CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in our soils and forests.

Carbon farming offers new income opportunities for farmers.

It is an example of how the new Common Agricultural Policy's ecoschemes and private funding can reward agricultural practices that help us fight the climate and biodiversity crises.”

The Commission will promote carbon farming as a new green business model that creates a new source of income for actors in the bioeconomy.

Pilot initiatives should be developed at the local or regional level in order to gather experience to upscale carbon farming.

This will enable improving design aspects, in particular the certification of carbon removals, and expanding stakeholders’ knowledge and understanding of the potential benefits for them.

The research concludes that result-based carbon farming can contribute significantly to the EU’s efforts to tackle climate change, bringing benefits in terms of carbon sequestration and storage and other co-benefits, such as increased biodiversity and preservation of eco-systems.

The Commission will promote carbon farming as a new green business model; Image:Pexels

Carbon farming can be promoted via EU and national policies and private initiatives.

Member States will be able to accelerate the roll-out of carbon farming practices in the context of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), for instance, via eco-schemes or rural development support and through State aid.

This new type of financial support will create a new source of income for land managers.

In addition, as announced in the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Commission is developing a regulatory framework for certifying carbon removals based on robust and transparent carbon accounting to monitor and verify the authenticity of carbon removals.

Nature-based solutions that remove carbon from the atmosphere can help the EU achieve climate neutrality and should therefore be rewarded.

Depending on the outcome of the CAP negotiations, eco-schemes can bring between 38-58 billion Euro to farmers.

The Commission already included carbon farming in its recommendations to the Member States’ CAP Strategic Plans.

Pilot projects are also co-financed by the EU through several channels, like the LIFE Programme and the European Regional Development Fund.

Furthermore, the Commission is organising a workshop on 25 May to help Member States design carbon farming schemes in their CAP Strategic Plans.

Headline image: Quang Nguyen Vinh from Pexels

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April 2021

Food businesses need to prepare for the new EU action plan for organic farming

Bronagh Loughlin — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 13:01:29 +0000

Food businesses need to prepare for the new EU action plan for organic farming

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Organic Farming

Food

Agriculture

Sustainable Agriculture

EU Commission

Topic

Food Industry

Organic Farming

The European Commission has presented its Action Plan for the development of organic production until 2030.

The European Commission has presented its recent Action Plan for the development of organic production.

The overall aim of the new plan is to boost the production and consumption of organic products to reach 25% of agricultural land under organic farming by 2030 and increase organic aquaculture significantly.

The initiative is announced in line with the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies, originally published by the EU Commission in May 2020.

EU Farm to Fork Strategy

These two strategies were presented in the context of the European Green Deal to enable the transition to sustainable food systems and tackle the key drivers of biodiversity loss.

The Action Plan is designed to provide the already fast-growing organic sector with the right tools to achieve the 25% target.

It puts forward 23 actions structured around three axes – increasing production, boosting consumption and further enhancing the sustainability of the sector – to ensure balanced growth.

Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, said:

“Agriculture is one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss, and biodiversity loss is a major threat to agriculture.

We urgently need to restore balance in our relationship with nature.

This is not something farmers face alone; it involves the whole food chain.

With this Action Plan, we aim to boost demand for organic farming, help consumers make informed choices, and support European farmers in their transition.

The more land we dedicate to organic farming, the better the protection of biodiversity in that land and in surrounding areas.”

There are many important benefits to organic production: organic fields have approximately 30% more biodiversity, organically farmed animals enjoy a higher degree of animal welfare and take fewer antibiotics.

Besides, organic farmers have higher incomes and are more resilient, and consumers know precisely what they are getting thanks to the EU organic logo.

EU organic logo

Growing consumption of organic products will be essential to encourage farmers to convert to organic farming and therefore, increase their profitability and resilience.

To this end, the Action Plan puts forth several concrete actions aimed at boosting demand, maintaining consumer trust and bringing food closer to citizens.

Promoting organic food is part of the EU's Action Plan; Image: Pexels

This includes: informing and communicating about organic production, promoting the consumption of organic products, stimulating greater use of organics in public canteens through public procurement and increasing the distribution of organic products under the EU school scheme.

Actions also aim to prevent fraud, increasing consumers’ trust and improving traceability of organic products.

Presently, about 8.5% of EU's agricultural area is farmed organically, and the trends show that with the present growth rate, the EU will reach 15-18% by 2030.

This Action Plan provides the toolkit to make an extra push and reach 25%.

Currently, around 1.8% (€7.5 billion) of Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) is used to support organic farming.

The future CAP will include eco-schemes, which will be backed by a budget of €38 – 58 billion, for the period 2023 – 2027, depending on the CAP negotiations outcome.

These eco-schemes can be deployed to boost organic farming.

The Commission is encouraging Member States to develop national organic action plans to increase their share of organic farming and complement the national CAP strategic plans.

Beyond the CAP, key tools include organising information events and networking for sharing best practices and certification for groups of farmers rather than for individuals, research, and innovation.

The use of blockchain and other technologies is part of the plan to improve traceability, increase market transparency, reinforce local and small-scale processing, support the organisation of the food chain, and enhance animal nutrition.

The Commission will also encourage the development of organic tourism networks through ‘biodistricts'.

'Biodistricts' are areas where farmers, citizens, tourist operators, associations and public authorities work together towards the sustainable management of local resources, based on organic principles and practices.

The Action Plan also aims to further improve organic farming's performance in terms of sustainability.

To achieve this, actions will focus on improving animal welfare, ensuring the availability of organic seeds, reducing the sector's carbon footprint, and minimising the use of plastics, water and energy.

The new Action Plan for organic farming will directly influence food businesses in the next few years within the EU to adopt sustainable practices and change their strategies.

Headline image: Photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels

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