The European Commission’s 2030 Green Paper, released on 27 March, invited stakeholders to take part in a consultative process towards the Union’s climate and energy policies after 2020. The new policy framework towards 2030 is regarded as an important tool for the EU to reach its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels, as stipulated in the Energy Roadmap 2050. Bellona provided the Commission with its response to the European Commission’s Green Paper on a 2030 Framework for Climate and Energy Policies on 2 July.

Key messages:

Bellona promotes

• a structural reform of the EU Emission Trading System (ETS) to provide a stable and increasing price of carbon and incentivize emissions reductions, low carbon investment, and innovation in clean technologies;
• clear, ambitious and legally binding targets for renewable energy, energy efficiency and CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) for 2030 in order to increase their competitiveness and ensure political predictability for investors;
• a holistic approach that ensures that the measures for reaching the EU’s targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% by 2050 are mutually supportive and reinforcing.