The 2030 Energy and Climate targets: a (necessary?) compromise for the next milestone on the low-carbon path to 2050

February 2014 A newsletter of CDC Climat Research N°88 The 2030 Energy and Climate targets: Key points a (necessary?) compromise for the next • Backloading: the backloading proposal was milestone on the low-carbon path to 2050 endorsed by the Climate Change Committee and approved by the ENVI Committee. thOn 6 February, the European Parliament The European Commission (EC) released its 2030 Energy and Climate Package on voted in favour of its faster implementation. 22 January 2014. First observations reveal that this is a package markedly different th• Free allocations: on 17 January, the EU from the 2020 package with regards to its ambition and nature. The 2020 Energy and Commission gave its approval to six member Climate package was an ambitious and “marketed” political package designed to set a states’ allocation plans to issue free 2013 decarbonisation trend. The current package strikes across more of an “economic” deal carbon permits. In total 370 MtCO2 have been that tries to make a consensus between a large spread of interests. The EC does not allocated i.e 42% of 2013 free allocations. specify the exact roadmap for Member States this time around as it did for the 2020 energy and climate package. Now, it will merely ensure that all Members States are • 2030 package: the EU Commission released “on the track”, ensuring more fexibility.