Interview with Agnese Ruggiero In a ‘normal’ year last month’s big climate announcements by Europe and China would have been a major international talking point, sadly this year is nothing but normal! First, the EU Commission during the State of the Union speech set out a plan to raise the block’s 2030 GHG reduction target…
Cities and regions are critically important for meeting and overachieving Europe’s climate targets. More than a third of the EU’s 2020 climate target will be delivered by cities, equivalent to 240 million tonnes of CO2 emission reductions (JRC, 2016).
The current governance and decision-making process of the CAP is a main barrier preventing the current policy from delivering on its objectives. Representing almost 40% of the EU budget, the CAP has to be aligned with the EU’s environmental, climate and development objectives.
Guest article by Susana Pinto from Quercus About 25 non-governmental organisations from Southern Europe, including Portuguese Quercus, gathered in Madrid on 5 and 6 April to exchange experiences and to explore ways to collaborate on European climate policies. While Portugal is on the right track when it comes to areas such as renewable energy, more…
BRUSSELS 28 March 2017. Only three countries in Europe are on the right track to deliver on the Paris climate agreement, a new ranking published today reveals. The EU Climate Leader Board looks at the position of each European government towards the EU’s largest climate law, the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR). Sweden tops the list,…
EU Member States are currently negotiating Europe’s key legislation for climate action, known as the Effort Sharing Regulation. Covering 60% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, the law will set binding national emission reduction targets for the 2021-2030 period for sectors such
as transport, buildings, agriculture and waste. In July 2016, the European Commission published the proposal for an Effort Sharing Regulation setting the basis for negotiations between EU ministers and Members of the European Parliament.
The ESR is a complicated beast and making the numbers easily accessible and digestible is essential to opening the door for widespread engagement with the ESR by citizens, NGOs, and businesses.
In 2016, the European Commission presented a legislative proposal to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from the transport, buildings, agriculture and waste sectors. The Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) is the EU’s largest climate instrument and regulates about 60% of our total emissions. In recent weeks, rapporteurs from three European Parliament committees presented their visions for moving the legislation forward.
This guide aims to build knowledge and understanding of the EU’s Effort Sharing Regulation for civil society organizations who have little or no prior experience with EU climate policies. It provides introductory knowledge on how the EU ETS is designed and how it functions. Increased awareness should ultimately empower civil society to get involved in the ETS process.
In summer 2016, the European Commission presented a legislative proposal for the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) for the 2021-2030 period. The ESR sets national emission reduction targets for the EU Member States for the transport, buildings, agriculture and waste sectors.
Carbon pricing 
International transport 
Climate governance 
Fair climate action