Only three EU countries are on the right track to reach the Paris climate deal goals, a new report by Carbon Market Watch and Transport & Environment reveals. Sweden tops the EU Climate Leader Board which ranks countries according to their positions on the Effort Sharing Regulation. We hope that other member states follow the example of Sweden, France and Germany and step up their game in the run up to the next environment minister meeting in June.

Negotiations have started on the recent European Commission proposal to continue exempting international flights from the EU’s emissions trading system (EU ETS). While the EU ETS currently covers 35% of total international aviation emissions, the proposal reduces this coverage to only 8% until at least 2021. Julie Girling, the European Parliament’s lead negotiator on the file in the environment committee cautioned other decision makers not to let Europe slip back on gains already made to curb the sector’s growing climate impact.

And finally, a ruling by the EU’s top court on a Luxembourg case involving the unfair allocation of free pollution permits comes at a crucial time ahead of final talks between the EU Member States and the European Parliament on the EU ETS. More auctioning and less freebies would be key to bringing the derailed system back on track.

Happy Reading
Carbon Market Watch

– Just three EU countries step up to the plate for Paris climate deal – ranking (press release)
– Europe must not backslide on aviation’s climate responsibility
– EU Court rules on pollution freebies ahead of final emissions trading talks
– EU countries take a small step to address carbon market oversupply