A month after the publication of the latest IPCC report confirming climate change is widespread, rapid, and intensifying, Parliament during the plenary session debate the “Fit for 55” package with Council and Commission. The European Climate Law adopted in June 2021 increases the EU’s target for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 from 40% to at least 55%, compared to 1990 level. Opening statements by Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs for the Council and by Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission. This transcription speech is the result of an automatic process. Check against delivery.

statement

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (T)

TIMMERMANS, Frans (NL, EC)

fight against climate change (T)

European Green Deal (T)

european climate law (T)

LOGAR, Anže (SI)

Fit for 55 (T)

Presentation of the Fit for 55 package after the publication of the IPCC report: opening statements by Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs and by Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission

SOUNDBITE (Original), Rainer WIELAND (EPP, DE), EP Vice-President, The next item on the agenda is the presentation of the Fit for 55 package. After the publication of the IPCC report, Council and Commission statements, there will be no spontaneous taking of the floor and no blue cards are accepted. And we will have speakers connected from the liaison offices in the Member States. First of all, for the Council, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Logar has the floor.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dear President, dear Members of the European Parliament, before addressing the important topic that is today on the agenda, let me please remind you that September is the month of raising awareness of childhood cancer.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, I recently received the group of Slovenian child, children, that has to go through this, and they gave me this golden ribbon. As there is COVID restriction. They couldn't brought those golden ribbon to you here.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, So they ask me to bring you in order to send the support for them good message for them and we will distribute this to you and they will be very glad and very happy if they see you on your social media or any kind as they support you. So I look forward for this support and Slovenian presidency will do our utmost to support this fight against cancer.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, President, honourable Members, thank you for inviting me to speak on this crucial topic. Recent natural disasters across Europe are a stark reminder to everyone that climate change and its effect are something felt not only faraway countries, but as well in other continents.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, According to data from European Environment Agency, the average temperature in Europe has been two point two Celsius degree higher over the last five years than it was at the end of the 19th century.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, 2020 was the warmest year ever recorded in Europe. It is estimated that between 1980 and 2019, over 85 000 people in the EU lost their lives due to extreme weather and climate related events.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, The final loss was caused by extreme weather, and climate related events exceeded 419 billion euros in the EU 27 over the last 40 years. This is significantly more than what the EU spent over two years on all its policies and programmes.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, And this summer we yet again received a report from IPCC reminding us of the global challenge. The IPCC findings indicate that human activities have altered the environment at an unprecedented pace with the unavoidable consequence that catastrophic impact lie ahead unless the world rapidly and dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, For Europe the report predicts an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Higher temperatures and intensified weather events will also result in huge costs for the EU's economy and hamper countries ability to produce food.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, But faced by dramatic events and figures and equipped with scientific knowledge, I believe the EU is stepping up the challenge. We have pledged to be the first climate neutral continent. The climate law adopted this year by the Parliament and the Council set us on a firm path to climate neutrality by 2050.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Our ambition is firmly anchored in the climate mainstreaming of EU policies and set out in the Green Deal and underpinned by the multiannual financial framework for 2021 to 2027 and the COVID-19 recovery plans.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, The for 55 legislative package presented by the Commission on 14 of July this year represents the moment of delivery of our ambition. The discussion in the Council are framed by the principles agreed by the Council in December 2020 and reaffirmed in May 2021.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, I want to take this opportunity to thank the Commission for the enormous amount of work done to deliver this package. We are only at the beginning of the examination of the many proposals made by the Commission.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, It is too early to make statements on how the debate will unfold. However, it is clear that when discussing the package, a number of overarching dimension will have to be considered, including the ability of the package to deliver on our ambitions and be effective in decarbonising our economy and societies.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, We also have to consider the package contribution to future proofing our economy. Does it deliver on the opportunity to use the green transformation to reinforce the EU's leadership in innovative green technology, to create new jobs and strengthen the competitiveness of European industry while ensuring a level playing field on global markets?

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Does the package represent the right policy mix in providing the right incentives to decarbonise the economy by stimulating investment and uptake of new technologies that can secure business and jobs?

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Well, we should openly discuss about that. Furthermore, since increased climate ambition is not without costs, we will need to analyse whether this package ensures a fair distribution of the burden between economic sectors and member states, but also within in the individual member states themselves.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Here I want to underline the need to take a hard look at the socio economic impact of measure and how to best to address it. Having said that, ambition, economy and fair burden sharing are not opposites.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, They need to go hand in hand. The Commission has presented a set of interconnected proposals that as a package aim to contribute to deliver ambition in a balanced way in our eagerness to find a solution on individual files, we should not forget to zoom out and look at the overall picture and whether the package as a whole delivers.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Today's debate provides a good occasion for this. Of course, Europe alone will not be able to rise effectively to the challenges set in the Paris Agreement. The EU currently emitting less than 10 percent of global emissions and while we have a downward trajectory, the economy is still increasing their emissions. But we have a responsibility to lead by example.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, There are some positive developments at international level, such as the recent announcement made by US and China to commit to to react to climate, to reach climate neutrality respectively by 2050 and 2060. But it is not sufficient. We need to go further. Every country has to draw a credible pathway toward climate neutrality if we want to preserve our collective chances to stay below one point five percent.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, In this regard, COP 26 in Glasgow will be a test of our collective commitment to fulfil the long term temperature goal of a Paris Agreement. We are actively preparing for this major event where we intend to emphasise the extreme urgency to act to keep the one point five Celsius degree goal within reach.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, President, Honourable Members, for the Slovenian Presidency the proposal in the Fit for 55 legislative package are top priority. And we have embarked on an ambitious work programme aiming aiming to making as much progress as possible, thereby laying a solid foundation on the way towards finding agreement on the proposal within the Council.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Delivering on the EU 2030 target and the Fit for 55 package will be crucial. It will be Europe's contribution to meet the global challenges of climate change, and it will be our opportunity to lead by example while future proofing our own economy and ensuring prosperity for European citizens, leaving no one behind.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Anže LOGAR, Slovenian Minister for Foreign Affairs, It is our joint responsibility to get it right. Let us Parliament and Council as co-legislator roll up our sleeves and get to work. Thank you for your attention.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Rainer WIELAND (EPP, DE), EP-Vice President, Thank thank you very much, Minister Logar. Now for the Commission, Vice-President Timmermans.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Dear President, honourable Members, Minister, time is out of joint focus, cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right. This is a quote from Hamlet that keeps coming back to me in this whole process of finding solutions to what is an existential threat to humanity, the combination of the climate crisis and the risk, serious risk of ecocide.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, And there is a huge responsibility on our shoulders because if we fail to act now and I mean immediately. Then our children will never forgive us because things will get out of hand. That is the essence of the IPCC report that if we don't act now, tipping points will be reached quite soon.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, And one might even fear sooner than even the IPCC report describes. So we have no choice. We have to act. And the one thing I hope we can avoid is that we are paralysed by the fear of change, paralysed by the consequence of what we need to do.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, The Fit for 55 package proposes a holistic approach to the problem, and we will have ample time to discuss the individual measures that we propose. And the Commission is open to discuss these and look for alternatives.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, But we have to be very clear on one thing, whatever measure you take, all these measures have a price effect, and the art of politics will be to ensure that the price effect does not affect the most vulnerable and that we use the age old political instrument of redistribution to make sure that the burden is evenly spread in society and that people can see clearly beyond any doubt that we have taken measures that will assure an equal burden sharing across society.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, The one thing we cannot afford is for the social side to be opposed to the climate side. I see this threat very clearly now that we have a discussion about the price hike in the energy sector. Only about one fifth of the price increase can be attributed to CO2 prices rising.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, The others are simply a consequence of shortage in the markets, and the irony is, had we have the the green deal five years earlier, we would not be in this position because then we would have less dependency on fossil fuels and on natural gas.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, We have seen along this energy price crisis along the way, we have seen that the prices for renewables have stayed low and stable. So instead of being paralysed or slowing things down because of the price hike now in the energy sector, we should speed things up in the transition to renewable energy so that affordable renewable energy becomes becomes available for everyone.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, That is, I think, the lesson we should draw from the present situation and of course, if you follow the reasoning, we have put in Fit for 55 for instance, on the introduction of ETS in transport and buildings, combination with the social the climate social fund, you will give member states the opportunity to make their own choices, reducing the VAT, for instance, reducing duties on energy, for instance, giving direct support to households.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Direct support can be given. It's the choice Member States can make. And I hope we can if if the choice we have made, because we believe that in the analysis of the fact that emissions and transport are still going up and they need to be going down, that the energy efficiency of buildings is not increasing at the rate that we need to get to the minus fifty five percent emission reduction in 2030.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, We have to do something we cannot just say, OK, it's too tricky, let's let it be, then the emissions will continue to rise in the transport and we will never, ever reach the target we set into law.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, So my my offer to Parliament and Council is let's look at the Fit to 55 package in its total, if there are elements you would like to change, help us then find alternatives that reach the same goal in a way that assures fair burden sharing across society, across member states, between regions.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, That is, I think, the ultimate goal of what we should do. Now, of course, everything we do at home has an effect on our position abroad. And I think I have sensed in my travels the negotiations in the preparation of COP 26 in Glasgow that the fact that we have a plan, that the fact that there is a concrete proposal has enormously boosted opposition also in the international arena.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, I spoke last week both with John Kerry and Alok Sharma in the preparation of the COP, and I will see John Kerry again next week. I spoke with the minister from Bhutan, who's the chairman of the most vulnerable countries.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, I will be speaking with the chairman of the Small Island States group also next week. I will be talking to the Turks.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Later this week, I will be travelling to Egypt to talk to the countries in the Mediterranean early October. I will also be travelling to Moscow to talk to the Russians. So you see that there is an active interest in Europe's role in all of this.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, And I'm in constant dialogue with the Chinese and their negotiator, Xie Zhenhua, to also try and convince the Chinese to come on board with more ambition. So that's how we try to prepare Glasgow in the best possible way. And I would really welcome your support in these efforts, because I believe. And I want to conclude on this.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Frans TIMMERMANS, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, I believe we can still fix it. I believe we can still make a success of Glasgow but more than that, I believe we can prevent the climate crisis from getting out of hand and out of control. I believe we can offer to next generations a humanity that knows how to live within planetary boundaries. I believe it can be done, but only if we act now. Thank you.