Brussels, Belgium – The upcoming Commission’s mandate from 2024 to 2029 is already being hailed as the “mandate of implementation” for climate policy. While Europe stands at the precipice of a critical phase in the implementation of the Green Deal and with the European Elections one week away, Bellona Europa has just published its Roadmap for 2024-2029 “Climate infrastructure, science-based policy making and well-functioning markets for a net-zero Europe”.  

As Europe transitions from planning to action, three key areas should be prioritised by the new Commission to achieve the European Union’s climate targets:  

• Deployment of Climate Infrastructure: Robust climate infrastructure forms the backbone of the green and just transition, while also rising as a solution to many climate-related challenges. Crucial infrastructure including clean energy networks – especially electricity grids – and CO₂ transport and storage will need to be deployed rapidly and extensively.  
• Science-Based Robust Policy Making: Every climate measure implemented today must be compatible with the goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050 and net-negative thereafter. Policies must be grounded in rigorous scientific research to ensure effectiveness and sustainability. 
• A Well-Functioning Market for a Net-Zero World requires strengthening policies that promote low-carbon products, discouraging the production of carbon intensive ones. This is exemplified by the EU’s Emission Trading System (ETS) and Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) whose design should address market failures, properly pricing CO₂, and supporting private investments in sustainable activities, but currently fail to do so sufficiently. The transition must be just and inclusive, with upskilling and reskilling initiatives to support workers moving into green sectors, ensuring that no one is left behind. 

Reaching the European target of being the first climate neutral continent by 2050 is not an ideological choice, but a global necessity. With the fight against climate change at the top of the global agenda, the European Union must build on the progress made in the past five years. 

European industries need to lead this transition, becoming global leaders of low carbon production. By doing so, the EU will pave the way for the development of a global low-carbon market by making climate technologies more accessible globally, while simultaneously striving towards climate neutrality and beyond.