European Council: framework agreement on climate and energy

Prime Minister Charles Michel attended his first European Council meeting on Thursday 23 October. At the end of the discussions, the 28 Member States of the European Union had reached an accord on a framework agreement on climate and energy for 2030. “Thanks to this ambitious agreement, the European Union will continue acting as a driving force in the fight against climate change. This package will bolster our long-term energy security whilst maintaining our industrial competitiveness”, said Charles Michel.

The Heads of State and Government agreed to cut CO2 emissions by at least 40% by 2030. The share of renewable energy is set to rise to at least 27% of the entire European Union’s consumption, and finally, energy efficiency is to be increased by at least 27%.

“Belgium had set itself three targets: ambition, realism and fairness. We have definitely achieved an ambitious outcome, as the Union is taking on its responsibilities at international level while also ensuring predictability for economic players. We ensured that the agreement was realistic by taking account of our companies’ competitiveness on a global scale. Finally, our commitment to fairness is reflected in our solidarity with the Member States that need it most, but also in our fair distribution of the required efforts”, explained the Prime Minister.

The Heads of State and Government discussed the political situation in Ukraine too.

They also appointed a European coordinator for the fight against ebola: the new Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Cypriot Christos Stylianides.

Discussions will resume on 24 October, when they will focus on the state of the European economy.