Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of the European Green Deal, and Commissioner for Climate Action Policy, presents the Fit for 2030 Package, which aims to align climate and energy policies with the new objectives of the European Climate Law to the EP Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI). The package comprises, inter alia, legislative proposals for the revision of the EU ETS and for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), amendments to the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Directives, as well as a revision of the CO2 standards for cars, LULUCF and Effort Sharing Regulations. This transcription is the result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Brussels

exchange of views

2030 framework for climate and energy policies (T)

Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

TIMMERMANS, Frans (NL, EC)

CANFIN, Pascal (Renew, FR)

European Green Deal (T)

european climate law (T)

Exchange of views on the European Green Deal - Fit For 55 in 2030 Package: opening statements by the Pascal CANFIN (Renew, FR), Chair of ENVI Committee, and by Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission

SOUNDBITE (English), Pascal CANFIN (Renew, FR), Chair of the ENVI Committee, Dear members, we are going to start this session with the Executive Vice President, Frans Timmermans. There is a lot of expectations regarding this one hour and a half altogether. Welcome, Frans to the Committee in the Parliament that will deal with the vast majority of your package today. And what you are going to say to convince members that have to be convinced on some issues. A part of this package of MEPs that still have to be convinced by some of the elements of the of the package. Don't be too optimistic.

SOUNDBITE (English), Pascal CANFIN (Renew, FR), Chair of the ENVI Committee, Of course, we are here to listen. We are here to listen and before giving you the floor, I would say first congrats, because when you look at the starting point, almost two years ago, and where we are now, and what we have already done to lend here with your proposal, this is massive. And I think it has to be politically applauded whatever the political parties we are in. And now, of course, there will be democratic debate. There will be support or opposition from the Parliament side, and it's up to you to convince. So the floor is yours Frans.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Thank you very much Pascal. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Honourable members. My prepared opening statement starts with: "this is truly a historic day". I beg to differ. So the one who draughted it, I have to tell you, that will depend. It could be a historic day, but we will only know in three, four or five years. Because whatever the Commission has proposed today, it will only really means something for our citizens and for our handling of the climate crisis if you and the Council turn it into legislation.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, So I am fully aware of the fact that when I'm before you today, this is the first of many, many, many appearances that I will make in this Committee and in this Parliament. And it's the first of many, many dialogues we will be having until we have convinced each other of the right approach to tackle the climate crisis. Now, as your Chairman said, we've already done quite a lot in a relatively short period of time. Obviously, the most important thing we've done is to decide on a climate law. And I know this Committee's ambition went beyond the at least 55 percent reduction for 2030. But we have this now set in law. We have the climate treaty 2050 set law. And the package we have presented today is a translation of that legal obligation into concrete measures.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, And in that sense, I think it is quite unique because I think we are the first major industrial conglomerate, if I can call the European Union that. The major industrial player in the world to actually translate ambitions in a concrete roadmap to how we get where we need to be. And I think that this package, which is a product of the efforts of hundreds and hundreds of people in our administration, the Commission, and I have to tell you, they deserve acknowledgement for an incredible effort, the quality, the quantity, the hours put in also in the last week, literally day and night. So without their expertise, their determination and their passion, I would not be here with this package today. I am very proud of them. With this team we have with the Commission. We can save our planet and our biodiversity if we can convince others to follow suit, not just in the European Union, but globally.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, So we are right to be determined. The three institutions. We know that there is a lot of determination with our citizens to tackle the climate crisis. And we also know that if we hesitate or if we take a breather of a couple of years, we will never get to where we need to be in 2030. And then the reaching climate in 2050 will also be impossible. So one thing I want to say from the outset, this is going to be hard. It's going to be hard in terms of politics. Is going to be hard in terms of legislation, and it's going to be hard in terms of convincing all our citizens that this is the right thing to do. But I still believe we will get there. But it's only in being honest about what needs to be done that people will follow us.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Again, globally, I honestly believe that Europe can lead the way. I was in Asia last week and all eyes are on us. Not just because of Sea Beam, but also because of the plans we have to decarbonise our society and how we do this without leaving anybody behind. Because that is, I think, the core issue of the Green Deal. Is that we want to create green growth and at the same time make sure that everybody's part of that and we leave no one behind.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, So our proposals, taken together and accompanied by global action, will make it possible for us to attain our goals. From scaling up renewable energy to making our buildings, transport and industry more efficient and clean, from putting a price on carbon across the economy to turn the page on fossil fuels as soon as possible, to restoring our forests and to help capture CO2 and support biodiversity. We put a price on carbon and a premium on decarbonising. That is actually the core issue.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, I know that one element of our package, the New Emissions Trading System for Corporate suppliers of fuels for our buildings and transport, will trigger a debate in this House and your Chairman has already started that debate on Twitter. So I know this will be an issue of a lot of discussion. We already have an ETS for the electricity we use to heat or cool our homes and to power our transport, with the possibility that this trickles down and consumer prices. We now propose to do the same. And when this was introduced, the ETS, the sky didn't fall down on us.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, So now we propose to do the same for the other fuels that we use in our homes and cars. And we know that this carries the exact same risk of pass on to consumers. It's a real risk and we need to address that risk. The climate logic of our proposal is clear, but the social logic may not, at least at the beginning, be clear. That is why the Commission is firmly committed to ensuring social fairness of our proposals, especially for vulnerable households. We propose a Social Climate Fund with a total firepower of 72.2 billion euros that member states would match, and if they match it and cofinance it, we would be over 144 billion euros. Member states can use these funds to compensate any unfair effects from our proposals and to make clean heating and transport available for everyone.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Insist on one point. Member states would also have the possibility to give direct income support to citizens who need it in a transitional period. Dear members, the world is changing whether we move or not. And I know that the discussion will be about what is the cost of this. And I think, in the same spirit of being honest, I think we should be able to make the case that we need to compare the cost of the transition with the cost of non transition. And it is my firm, firm belief that avoiding transition, both in terms of the social cost, environmental cost, the political cost, the geopolitical cost is much, much higher than the cost of transition.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, But we have to make this case. Because from the outset, people will not be convinced. We have to make this case that this transition is in their interest, even if costs are involved. The cost of not acting, by the way, who will be the ones paying the highest price if we don't act. The most vulnerable in our society, people who have nowhere to go, who are linked to where they live, where they work. And those people, if that area becomes inhabitable because of extreme heat or because of other weather phenomena, they would have nowhere to go. And we have to make sure, we help them make this transition in a socially acceptable way.

SOUNDBITE (English), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, So this is where we start. I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have at this stage. It is just a presentation today because as your Chairman has said, we will have ample opportunity to focus on the individual measures we have proposed. And I'm really looking forward in a constructive relationship. We have no time to waste. Thank you.