KEF, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 146: Orientering om oversendelse af breve til Frans Timmermans og Kadri Simson

Klima-, Energi- og Forsyningsudvalget 2019-20
KEF Alm.del Bilag 146
Offentligt

The Minister

Date

30 November 2019

Dear Mr. Timmermans,

Congratulations on your new position as Executive Vice-President for the Green

Deal in the European Commission. We wish the best for a successful mandate.

Ambitious action is urgently needed to curb climate change and stop the global

environmental degradation. The EU can and must play a leadership role in

global climate action. The EU can support the green transition of member states

through cost effective policies. EU policies are key to greening the European

continent. And only through effective and coordinated EU action can we spur

the global action that is required.

The Danish Government therefore strongly supports

the Commission’s endeav-

our to make Europe a front-runner in the global green transition and warmly

welcomes the proposal for a

European Green Deal

by the new Commission.

Of immediate urgency, the European Council in December should agree on

reaching

climate neutrality in the EU by 2050

at the latest to be included in an

ambitious binding EU Climate Law. Furthermore the EU should commit itself to

setting targets and implementing policies and measures to limit the global aver-

age temperature increase to 1.5 C in line with the Paris Agreement.

In order to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement, the

EU’s

2030 target

must be increased to at least 55 percent. Member States should agree upon this

in the first half of 2020 and submit it to the UNFCCC as the EU’s updated

Na-

tionally Determined Contribution as early as possible in 2020

in order to

push for higher global ambition in the run-up to COP26 in Glasgow.

An increased 2030 target should be implemented it in the most

cost effective

way.

The ETS is the most cost effective market based instrument driving the

green transition in the covered sectors. It should be further strengthened, as

there is scope for making it even more effective.

Our

long-term ambition

to be

climate neutral by 2050

at the latest must be

the guiding principle in revising existing regulation towards 2030 as well as for

introducing new additional measures.

To make climate neutrality a reality, we need to speed up the pace of our transi-

tion efforts. This requires that we

accelerate the deployment of renewable

Danish Ministry of Climate,

Energy and Utilities

Holmens Kanal 20

1060 Copenhagen K

P: +45 3392 2808

E: [email protected]

www.kefm.dk

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KEF, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 146: Orientering om oversendelse af breve til Frans Timmermans og Kadri Simson

energy

in the EU. In recent years, we have seen a rapid development in both

wind power and solar panels, as the costs have reduced significantly. Yet, going

forward we need to ensure an effective price on carbon emissions to spur in-

vestments in renewable energy and a

phase-out of fossil fuels.

In particular,

offshore wind

is showing a great potential, but in order to utilize

this fully, we will need to make sure that there is an enabling EU-framework in

place and to significantly strengthen regional cooperation in the North Sea, the

Baltic Sea and other coastal regions.

Transport is the only major sector in the EU where greenhouse gas emissions

are still increasing. It is important that CO

-emissions are limited across the

European economy and that the

transition towards zero-emission mobility

accelerated. The uptake of zero-emission passenger cars needs to accelerate

dramatically in the EU over the coming years and decades. Denmark urges the

Commission to present a plan with proposals for policy initiatives and incentives

for the

transition to a fleet of zero-emission passenger cars.

The

Common Agricultural Policy

should to a greater extent support European

agriculture to produce

in accordance with EU’s objective on water environment,

biodiversity and climate. Denmark wants an even

greener common agricultur-

al policy.

Climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest should as well be the guiding

principle for the

8 environmental action plan.

The EU should continue to

lead the way internationally

when it comes to cli-

mate action. As a perquisite to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, we must

engage other global partners to increase ambition and ensure delivery of SDG7

on access to sustainable energy. Climate and environmental priorities should

also to a greater extent be integrated into EU trade policy, through the strength-

ening of

sustainability chapters

on climate and environment in new trade

agreements,

liberalisation of tariffs

and reduction of non-tariff barriers on

green products and services.

Denmark looks forward to the Commission

analysis on the possibilities to introduce a

Carbon Border Tax

with due respect

to WTO rules.

Attached you will find a paper with more detailed proposals for how we can pur-

sue climate and environment objectives in the EU across a broad spectrum of

policy areas. The Danish government very much looks forward to cooperating

with you and the rest of the new Commission in making the European Green

Deal a reality.

Yours sincerely,

Dan Jørgensen

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