Multilateral Assessment - United Nations Framework

Climate Dialogues 2020

Session starts: 10-08-2020 00:00:00 [GMT+1]

Session ends: 03-11-2020 23:59:59 [GMT+1]

Multilateral Assessment A compilation of questions to - and answers by -

the European Union

exported on 05 November 2020

by the UNFCCC secretariat

2

Question by Iran, Islamic Republic of at Monday, 19 October 2020

Category: All emissions and removals related to its quantified economy-wide emission

reduction target

Type: After 07 September

Title: Impact of COVID 19 Pandemic on emissions and removal on Forest Area

Dears,

The Committee on Forestry (COFO) is the highest FAO Forestry statutory body. The biennial

sessions of COFO (held at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy) bring together heads of forest services

and other senior government officials to identify emerging policy and technical issues, to seek

solutions and to advise FAO and others on appropriate action. Other international organizations and,

increasingly, non-governmental groups participate in COFO.

The Twenty-fifth Session of the Committee on Forestry has taken placed at FAO headquarters in

Rome, Italy from 22-26 June 202 0. The Session was postponed due to the ongoing health crisis. The

COVID-19 pandemic is a global threat, the full effects of which are yet unknown but already impact

social, economic and environmental dimensions. Forestry and forest-based sectors are not only

strongly affected but also have a key role to play in mitigating impacts and rebuilding with

sustainable solutions.

One of the most important theme was: “FORESTS Nature based solutions for climate change”. So,

forest are a critical but underfunded element of the climate solution and should need to follow:

1. Nature based solutions can provide up to a third of cost-effective mitigation by 2030

2. Avoiding deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is one of the most effective and

robust options

3. Although slowing down, still 10 million ha are deforested every year, mostly to commercial

(40%) and subsistence (33%) agriculture

4. Despite potential, forest only receive about 2% of climate finance

5. and…..

As you know, Iran located in arid and semi-arid area that the important of the unique Hyrcanian

forest in North as well as the Zagros forest required more technical and financial support.

My specific question is: How Iran can absorb more technical and financial supports from EU or other

financial/technical support sorces to move forward to proteect the above specific forests areas? W

hat is the existing policy of EU members to help the other states (e.g. Iran) to better management of

their forest area to increase their capacitiy on forest

I’m thanking so much for your consideration in advance.

Hamid R Solaymani – PhD

Member of High Council in Forest, Range-Land and Watershed Management Org. – Iran

Representatve of Iran in SBI 52 meeting

3

Answer by European Union

The EU supports the efforts of many developing countries to preserve their forests and to contribute

to inclusive and sustainable development, including through nearly €80 million per year to help

initiatives related to forests in developing countries. These initiatives include provisions to ensure

that forests are managed sustainably and that biodiversity is preserved. The EU acknowledges the

importance of REDD+ and other approaches, as reflected in the Paris Agreement. The EU and its

Member States, including through the EU REDD facility, are collectively major contributors to

support the implementation of forest components of nationally determined contributions, through

bilateral and multilateral contribution.

The EU’s approach builds on its Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan

(COM (2003) 251 final) (1). On 3 March 2013, the EU Timber regulation (Regulation (EU) 995/2010)

(2) came into effect to stop the circulation of illegally logged wood in the EU. Next to this regulation,

the FLEGT action plan relies on Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) (3). These agreements are

legally binding and ensure that all timber imported to the EU from a timber-producing country has

been produced legally according to the laws of that country.

On 23 July 2019, the European Commission adopted an EU Communication on Stepping up EU

Action to Protect and Restore the World’s Forests (COM (2019) 352 final) (4). The Communication

has the objective of protecting and improving the health of existing forests, especially primary

forests, and significantly increasing sustainable, biodiverse forest coverage worldwide. It sets out

five priorities:

- Reduce the footprint of EU consumption on land and encourage the consumption of products from

deforestation-free supply chains in the EU;

- Work in partnership with producer countries to reduce pressures on forests and to

“deforest-proof” EU development cooperation;

- Strengthen international cooperation to halt deforestation and forest degradation, and encourage

forest restoration;

- Redirect finance to support more sustainable land-use practices;

- Support the availability and quality of information on forests and commodity supply chains, the

access to that information, and support research and innovation.

Annex I to the Communication proposes actions to be implemented by the European Commission to

meet these priorities, while Annex II lists actions recommended to EU national, regional and local

authorities, industry and civil society.

The Commission will present in 2021 a legislative proposal and other measures to avoid or minimise

the placing of products associated with deforestation or forest degradation on the EU market and to

promote forest-friendly imports and value chains. To this end, the Commission is currently

conducting an impact assessment (5) of measures to tackle global deforestation associated with EU

consumption, the results of which are expected in Q1 2021.

(1): COM (2003) 251 final:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A52003DC0251

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A52003DC0251

4

(2): Regulation (EU) 995/2010:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=celex:32010R0995

(3): VPAs: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/flegt.htm

(4): COM (2019) 352 final:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52019DC0352

(5): impact assessment:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12137-Minimising-the-ris

k-of-deforestation-and-forest-degradation-associated-with-products-placed-on-the-EU-market

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Question by United States of America at Monday, 07 September 2020


reduction target

Type: Before 07 September

Title: Sub-national efforts

We understand the challenges the EU faces in reporting on policies implemented by its Member

States, and especially those policies implemented by subnational actors such as the EU Covenant of

Mayors for Climate and Energy initiative. Has there been any consideration of ways to improve

consistency of reporting across member states and at the sub-national level, for example considering

the scope of emissions captured by policies? Will work under the Regulation on the Governance of

the Energy Union and Climate Action address this issue?


To facilitate reporting by Member States, the European Environment Agency (EEA) has developed a

dedicated Policies and Measures (PaM) online reporting questionnaire which is consistent with the

requirements of the EU legislation. This improves the structure of reporting and comparability of

data, allowing a better overview of the reported information at EU level. The tool is complemented

by guidelines available at: http://cdr.eionet.europa.eu/help/mmr. Member States are encouraged to

report also on local and regional policies and measures. For some countries where this is more

relevant, regional policies are already reported – reporting system allows for this. Under the EU

Monitoring Mechanism Regulation (MMR)(1) Member States must report on the type of entities

responsible for implementing the policy. One of the pre-selected entity types must be chosen:

National government; Regional entities; Local government; etc. Under the Governance Regulation

(2) there is a new field: ‘Geographical coverage’ of policy or measure. Member States shall select

from the following categories: covering two or more countries, national, regional, local. The

EEA/ETC(3) will provide guidance to MS on how to report. But it will always be challenging to

capture the inherent complexity of multilevel governance completely in the reporting, especially in

EU with EU policies, cross-border initiatives, national policies, regional policies and many local

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=celex:32010R0995

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/flegt.htm

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52019DC0352

https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12137-Minimising-the-risk-of-deforestation-and-forest-degradation-associated-with-products-placed-on-the-EU-market

https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12137-Minimising-the-risk-of-deforestation-and-forest-degradation-associated-with-products-placed-on-the-EU-market

:%20http:/cdr.eionet.europa.eu/help/mmr

5

actions. The Regulation on the Governance of the Energy Union is expected to facilitate the

streamlining and reporting of climate and energy policies and measures, as well as their integration

across policy domains. The EU will continue capacity building activities to develop and improve tools

to make reporting more comparable across countries, to provide support and guidance to Member

States and to promote exchanges of information, experience and knowledge among Member States.

(1): Regulation (EU) No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013 on

a mechanism for monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32013R0525

(2): Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018

on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?toc=OJ:L:2018:328:TOC&uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2018.32

8.01.0001.01.ENG

(3): European Topic Centre on Climate Change Mitigation and Energy (ETC/CME,

https://www.eionet.europa.eu/etcs/etc-cme/)

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Question by Republic of Korea at Monday, 07 September 2020

Category: Progress towards the achievement of its quantified economy-wide emission

reduction target


Title: Mitigation actions

1. Please explain the share of the emissions covered by ETS and ESD out of the total EU-28

GHG emission for the transparent understanding of 2020 target.

2. Please explain the plan to introduce additional measures to reduce emissions in transport

sector (including international aviation and international shipping) over the binding target of

renewable energy (at least 14% of final energy consumption in transport).

3. Please explain whether EU includes the building sector (residential sector, commercial

sector) in energy sector in terms of implementing sectoral policy and measures.


1. The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) covers around 40% of the EU greenhouse gas

emissions. Emissions from most sectors not included in the EU ETS such as transport, buildings,

agriculture and waste are covered by the Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) (Decision 406/2009/EC). The

ESD covers emissions from all sources outside the EU ETS, except for international maritime

emissions and emissions and removals from land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF). It thus

includes a diverse range of small-scale emitters in a wide range of sectors: transport (cars, lorries),

buildings (in particular heating), services, small industrial installations, fugitive emissions from the

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32013R0525

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?toc=OJ:L:2018:328:TOC&uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2018.328.01.0001.01.ENG

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?toc=OJ:L:2018:328:TOC&uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2018.328.01.0001.01.ENG

https://www.eionet.europa.eu/etcs/etc-cme/

6

energy sector, emissions of fluorinated gases from appliances and other sources, agriculture and

waste. Such sources accounted for 58% of total GHG emissions in the EU in 2017 (European

Environment Agency (2019); Trends and projections in Europe 2019. Tracking progress towards

Europe’s climate and energy targets;

https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/trends-and-projections-in-europe-1/at_download/file).

Emissions and removals from land use, emission and removals from land use change and forestry

(LULUCF) are covered by the Kyoto Protocol and from 2021 by the LULUCF Regulation.

2. The Commission will study the extension of the Emissions Trading System with emissions

stemming from buildings and road transport. Furthermore, it will propose that the intra-EU maritime

sector is included and the share of aviation allowances to be auctioned will be increased. There are

clear benefits associated with applying carbon pricing to these sectors and including them in an

Emissions Trading System. However, carbon pricing alone will not be sufficient and complementary

measures such as strong CO2 emission standards for cars will be needed.

3. The buildings sector includes emissions from fuel combustion in commercial and institutional

buildings as well as emissions from fuel combustion in households. The buildings sector falls by and

large under the ‘effort sharing’(ESD) where Member States’ national targets apply. In terms of

sectoral EU policies, to be implemented by Member States, one could mention the 2012 and 2018

Energy Efficiency Directives

https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-efficiency/targets-directive-and-rules/energy-efficiency-

directive_en#the-2012-energy-efficiency-directive as well as a number of policies and measures

addressed to the Energy Performance of Buildings

https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficient-buildings_en

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Question by Australia at Monday, 07 September 2020


reduction target


Title: The Innovation fund

The Fourth Biennial Report (p.58), states that ‘in particular, an Innovation Fund will support the

demonstration of innovative renewable energy and low-carbon innovation in industry’. How will the

Innovation Fund allocate funds across the innovation chain from R&D to commercial readiness?


Innovation Fund aims to support technologies that are not yet commercially available but represent

breakthrough solutions or are sufficiently mature to be ready for demonstration at pre-commercial

scale. Innovation Fund projects may consist of a first-of-a-kind commercialisation or large-scale

commercial size demonstration of processes previously proven at pilot, smaller scale or large-scale

demonstration plants. A second or more of a kind commercialisation can also be considered

https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/trends-and-projections-in-europe-1/at_download/file

https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-efficiency/targets-directive-and-rules/energy-efficiency-directive_en#the-2012-energy-efficiency-directive

https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-efficiency/targets-directive-and-rules/energy-efficiency-directive_en#the-2012-energy-efficiency-directive

https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficient-buildings_en

7

innovative in case that the relevant costs remain a significant share of total costs that prohibit

commercialisation without further public support. Smaller demonstrations or pilot plants are also

eligible for support, especially if this is the right scale at which technology needs to be proven before

moving to a larger scale demonstration.

All projects will be selected following calls for proposals. The first call for proposals for large-scale

projects (above EUR7.5M CAPEX) was launched on 3 July 2020:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/

innovfund-lsc-2020-two-stage. The second call for proposals will be for small-scale projects. The

target launch date is 1 December 2020.

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/innovation-fund_en

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reduction target


Title: Public electricity and heat production policies

The Fourth Biennial Report (p.26) states that, public electricity and heat production is the source

category whose emissions have decreased the most in the period 1990 to 2017. What are the key

policies and measures in place to address the emissions in this sector?


Key policies and measures in place to address the emissions of the public electricity and heat

production source category are the Renewable Energy Directive (2018/2001/EU,

https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/renewable-energy/renewable-energy-directive/overview_en),

the Energy Efficiency Directive (2012/27/EU and 2018/2002/EU,

https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-efficiency/targets-directive-and-rules/energy-efficiency-

directive_en) and the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Some of the drivers underpinning lower

emissions in the heat and power sector are improved energy efficiency and a less carbon intensive

fuel mix, with more natural gas, less coal and substantial increases in renewable energy. Information

on policies and measures introduced by European Member States to reduce greenhouse gas

emissions and to achieve climate change and energy targets is available on the European

Environment Agency (EEA) Policies and Measures (PaMs) dataviewer/database which is different

from what the EU reports in the CTF tables:

https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/climate/national-policies-and-measures

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https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/innovation-fund_en

https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/climate/national-policies-and-measures

8



reduction target


Title: Future EU emissions and target reporting

The Fourth Biennial Report (p.21), states that ‘The European Union submits an inventory for EU-28

under the UNFCCC’. How will the European Union address the withdrawal of the United Kingdom in

its future emissions and target reporting?


Information will be provided in due course.

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Question by Japan

at Monday, 07 September 2020


reduction target


Title: Managed wetlands in LULUCF Regulation

In the LULUCF Regulation, managed wetland are mandatory to account from 2026. Are there any

support schemes conducted by EU for mandatory accouting of managed wetlands, such as data

shaping?


At the EU level, support for the reporting and the accounting of managed wetlands can be

channelled through various schemes, although none are specific to managed wetlands alone. These

scheme includes:

- the 5 th working group of the Climate change committee is dedicated to the implementation of the

provision of the LULUCF Regulation. This group facilitates the exchange of good practices between

Member States and with the European Commission and can thus help Member States in their

reporting and accounting obligations.

9

- The Joint Research Centre (JRC) LULUCF website

(https://forest.jrc.ec.europa.eu/en/activities/lulucf/) contains data and information on LULUCF

activities carried out at the JRC to provide assistance to Member States, including the annual JRC

LULUCF Workshops that gather all the Member States experts in charge of assessing

emissions/removals from the LULUCF sector.

- The European Topic Centre on Climate Change Mitigation and Energy (ETC/CME,

https://www.eionet.europa.eu/etcs/etc-cme/), working with the European Environment Agency

(EEA) and the European environment information and observation network (Eionet) includes in its

priority activity the support to policy processes under the LULUCF Regulation

Currently or in the near future, improving knowledge on wetlands, including to improve accounting

of emissions and removals, can also be financed through several funds, including:

- The LIFE Programme: https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/life

- The Horizon 2020 Green Deal Call:

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1669

- The Horizon Europe Mission area: Healthy oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/horizon-europe/missions-horizon-europe/healthy-oceans-seas-coastal-an

d-inland-waters_en

- The Horizon Europe 1 st Strategic Plan 2021-2024: https://ec.europa.eu/info/horizon-europe_en

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Question by Japan at Monday, 07 September 2020


reduction target


Title: CCS policy

In CTF Table 3, CCS Directive is included as one of the policies and measures. The EU BR1 (P327-328),

which explans this Directive in detail, refers to the provision of funding for CCS-related activities.

Please provide information on updates from BR1 on the EU policies related to the promotion of CCS,

if there has been any.


CCS is incentivised in the EU under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS): installations that apply

CCS do not need to surrender EU ETS allowances. Further to that, the EU continues to support CCS

research and innovation and transport of CO2 infrastructure through its programmes Horizon

Europe, Innovation Fund and Connecting Europe Facility.

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https://forest.jrc.ec.europa.eu/en/activities/lulucf/

https://www.eionet.europa.eu/etcs/etc-cme/

https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/life

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1669

https://ec.europa.eu/info/horizon-europe/missions-horizon-europe/healthy-oceans-seas-coastal-and-inland-waters_en

https://ec.europa.eu/info/horizon-europe/missions-horizon-europe/healthy-oceans-seas-coastal-and-inland-waters_en

https://ec.europa.eu/info/horizon-europe_en

10

Question by Japan at Monday, 07 September 2020


reduction target


Title: Frequency and utilization of projection

On the BR4 page 94-95, the EU reports on the differences between BR3 and BR4 projections,

providing very useful insights. In relation to this, we would like to ask the following questions: 1. We

understand that biennial projection reporting is mandatory under the MMR Regulation in the EU,

but is there a systematic mechanism to encourage the Member States to update their estimates of

projections biennially or more frequently (e.g., updates of key parameters and reduction impacts of

policies and measures)? 2. How often does the EU develop/revise the key assumptions that are

provided to the Member States? 3. How does the EU utilize the results of the projections?


1. As part of the quality checking procedure, it is checked if submitted GHG projections are the same

as previously reported (QA/QC document is available here:

http://cdr.eionet.europa.eu/help/mmr/QAQC%20procedure%20for%20national%20and%20Union%

20projections.pdf). It occurs only occasionally that sectoral projections are identical to previous

reporting. In non-mandatory years Member States shall report any substantial changes to the

information on GHG projections previously reported. For example, in 2020 13 Member States did so.

Furthermore Member States are always encouraged during the regular meetings of the responsible

working group under the Climate Change Committee to report any updates on GHG projections,

parameters or climate change mitigation policies and measures. ‘Voluntary submissions’ in between

the mandatory reporting years are also quality checked in line with the standard QA/QC procedure

including the provision of a feedback to the Member States on the quality of their data. In addition,

the EU projections dataset is updated including any new submission every year by the EEA/ETC to

present the most up to date data.

2. The Commission provides recommended parameters for each mandatory projection reporting

year, i.e. biennially.

3. Reported and quality checked projections are used in assessing EU and Member States’ progress

to targets, analyzing trends, and in the evaluation of EU climate policies. The progress assessment

also informs discussions and impact assessments on EU ambition.

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http://cdr.eionet.europa.eu/help/mmr/QAQC%20procedure%20for%20national%20and%20Union%20projections.pdf

http://cdr.eionet.europa.eu/help/mmr/QAQC%20procedure%20for%20national%20and%20Union%20projections.pdf

11

Question by Canada at Monday, 07 September 2020


reduction target


Title: Verification of CO2 emissions from fuel use with Reference approach

Does the EU estimate carbon dioxide emissions from all fuel use (combustion and non-combustion)

with the “Reference Approach”? How close are the estimates relative to the sectoral approach and

what factors account for any discrepancy?


The EU estimates and reports the IPCC Reference Approach from CO2 from fossil fuel combustion in

its annual GHG inventory (CRF tables 1.A(b), 1.A(c) and 1.A(d)). The difference for the latest year

reported (2018 in the 2020 inventory) was 1%. The EU uses energy statistics reported to Eurostat for

its Reference Approach. The discrepancies are very small. Some factors that contribute to

differences between the sectoral and reference approaches are related to activity data, including net

calorific values, and the use of default IPCC factors in the reference approach vs country and

plant-specific emissions and emission factors (e.g. from the EU ETS) in the sectoral approach.

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Question by New Zealand at Monday, 07 September 2020

Category: Assumptions, conditions and methodologies related to the attainment of its

quantified economy-wide emission reduction target


Title: Limits for use of international emissions reductions

What are the quantitative and qualitative limits for the EU’s use of international emissions

reductions in meeting its 2020 target?


In the BR4, section 3.1 "The EU target under the Convention" on page 45, when reporting on the

European Union target under the Convention, we reported that on the European level a limited

number of CERs, ERUs and units from new market-based mechanisms may be used to achieve the

target: in the ETS, the use of international credits was allowed up to specific levels set in the EU ETS

Directive, amounting to over 1500 million CER and ERU entitlements in the period up to 2020). Since

2015 the European Commission publish at least once a year the total number of international credits

exchanged. Since 31 March 2015, only credits issued in relation to emissions reductions during the

second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (so-called "CP2-credits") can be exchanged in the

EU Emissions Trading System. In the most recent publication of May 2020 the European Commission

12

published that the total number of international credits exchanged - European wide – amounts to

479.6 million (since March 2014). This is an increase of around 27.4 million credits compared to the

number of international credits exchanged published in June 2019. A total of 94.2 million CP2 credits

(Certified Emission Reductions - CERs) have been exchanged since March 2014. On the website

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/news/updated-information-exchange-and-international-credit-use-eu-et

s-4_en the European Commission also made available more information on the number and type of

credits exchanged by 30 April 2020, by country of origin, project and commitment period. Such

overviews were also published together whit the publication of the number of number of

international credits in previous years. The final information on exchange and use of the

international credits will be published by the European Commission in May 2021.

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reduction target


Title: Policy interventions for climate neutrality by 2050

It is stated that “the Commission adopted a long-term EU vision towards climate neutrality by

2050,” in which “land use and agriculture will play a key role,” and several specific mitigation

opportunities are identified. Can the EU provide further information on policy interventions or

other programmes that are intended to support this vision, specifically in relation to

agriculture?


The communications “A Clean Planet for all” (COM (2018) 778 final), “The European Green Deal”

(COM (2019) 640 final) and “the European Climate Law” (COM (2020) 80 final) affirm the key role of

land use and agriculture to reach climate neutrality.

The Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) Regulation currently requires EU Member

States to maintain their natural carbon sink according to existing land use practices. The

communication “Stepping up Europe’s 2030 climate ambition” (COM (2020) 562 final) states that

over time the sector should do more. The LULUCF sink needs to be maintained and even enhanced

to balance any remaining emissions in the economy with carbon dioxide removals and to achieve net

zero GHG emissions by 2050. To make removals happen in practice, individual farmers or forest

managers need to be directly incentivised to store more carbon on their land and their forests.

The Farm to Fork Strategy (COM (2020) 381 final) lays down a new approach to ensure that

agriculture and the food value chain contribute appropriately to this process. An example of a new

green business model is carbon sequestration by farmers and foresters. Farming practices that

remove CO2 from the atmosphere contribute to the climate neutrality objective and should be

rewarded, either via the common agricultural policy (CAP) or other public or private initiatives

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/news/updated-information-exchange-and-international-credit-use-eu-ets-4_en

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/news/updated-information-exchange-and-international-credit-use-eu-ets-4_en

13

(carbon market). A new EU carbon farming initiative under the Climate Pact will promote this new

business model, which provides farmers with a new source of income and helps other sectors to

decarbonise the food chain. As announced in the Circular Economy Action Plan (COM (2020) 98), the

Commission will develop a regulatory framework for certifying carbon removals based on robust and

transparent carbon accounting to monitor and verify the authenticity of carbon removals.

In the framework of the revised Common Agricultural Policy, the Commission works with the

Member States and stakeholders to ensure that the national strategic plans for agriculture fully

reflect the ambition of the Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy. The Commission will ensure

that these strategic plans are assessed against robust climate and environmental criteria. These

plans should lead to the use of sustainable practices, such as precision agriculture, organic farming,

agro-ecology, agro-forestry and stricter animal welfare standards. By shifting the focus from

compliance to performance, measures such as eco-schemes should reward farmers for improved

environmental and climate performance, including managing and storing carbon in the soil, and

improved nutrient management to improve water quality and reduce emissions.

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Title: Management of agricultural emissions

Significant reductions in agricultural emissions are attributed to the EU ‘milk quotas.’ With

these quotas no longer in place, are there any measures in place (or in development) at the

EU-level to manage the level of agricultural emissions in their absence?


Milk quotas were introduced to address the structural oversupply on the EU market of the late

1970s and early 1980s. The system of quotas – and the threat of levy – helped to cap the expansion

of EU production. The butter and skimmed milk powder "mountains", which had exceeded 1 million

tonnes, fell steadily. However, there have been other important changes to the Common

Agricultural Policy which have led to a much more market-oriented sector. Successive reforms of the

CAP have seen a reduction in guaranteed prices, with a range of policy tools aimed at stabilising farm

revenues, notably the system of direct payments, primarily decoupled from production. Milk quotas

were originally introduced for 5 years, but the expiry date has been put back several times. The final

date was decided in the 2003 CAP reform, and reconfirmed in 2008 with concrete steps to provide a

"soft landing" by the end of March 2015. There is not a risk of the same sort of structural surpluses

as in the past. The guaranteed price for butter and skimmed milk powder now merely serves as a

safety net – such as during the 2009 dairy crisis, where it put a floor in the market. This means that

14

producers are looking at the market when they decide how much to produce. Increased focus on

added-value products (such as cheese and yoghurts) as well as on ingredients for nutritional, sports

and dietary products have a strong potential in terms of growth and jobs for the EU.

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Title: European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development

Can the EU provide further information on the contribution of the European Agricultural Fund

for Rural Development (EAFRD) to the overall ESI Fund? The EAFRD is stated to contribute

€58 billion, while also stated to constitute ‘more than half’ of the €200 billion total.


The related text in section 4.2.3.1 "European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF)", page 62 could

have been written more clearly. There are five European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF):

European regional development fund (ERDF), European social fund (ESF), Cohesion fund (CF),

European agricultural fund for rural development (EARD) and European maritime and fisheries fund

(EMFF). The total (2014-2020) Climate Change finance in the EU budget is more than €200 billion.

The contributions to climate mainstreaming from the ESIF for 2014-2020 is about €120 billion

(Statement of Estimates of the European Commission for the financial year 2020. SEC(2019) 250

-June 2019), half of which is constituted by the total (2014-2020) European Agricultural Fund for

Rural Development (EAFRD) amounting to €58 billion.

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reduction target


Title: Transport initiatives

Transport is the only major sector in the EU where emissions are still growing. During 2017

and 2018, the Commission adopted three Mobility Packages, including legislative initiatives to

reduce CO 2 emissions from the transport and mobility sectors. What progress has the EU

made in relation to these initiatives?

15


Information on different policies adopted by the EU under the three Mobility Packages of 2017-2018

is presented in section 4.3.2 of the EU 4 th Biennial Report. The Mobility Packages included several

legislative initiatives, which have since been adopted at EU level. As part of the Mobility Packages,

emission reduction of greenhouse gases and air pollutants from road transport have been

strengthened by the CO 2 standards for new cars, vans and heavy goods vehicles, by the Clean

Vehicles Directive setting public procurement rules for such vehicles, by the deployment of

recharging infrastructure for electric vehicles and refuelling stations for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles

and multimodal travel information services supported by digital tools and data sharing.

In detail:

The second Mobility Package, which focussed on clean mobility, included the following key policies

which aim to enable a transition towards low and zero emission mobility:

- The revised CO2 emission standards for cars and light duty commercial vehicles, which were

adopted through Regulation (EU) 631/2019. This Regulation started applying on 1 January 2020,

replacing and repealing Regulations (EC) 443/2009 (cars) and (EU) 510/2011 (vans). The new

Regulation maintains the targets for 2020, which were set out in the former Regulations. It adds new

targets that apply from 2025 and 2030, and includes, among others, a strengthened monitoring and

governance mechanism and includes a mechanism to incentivise the uptake of zero- and

low-emission vehicles. More information:

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/transport/vehicles/regulation_en

- The Clean Vehicles Directive, (EU) 2019/116 adopted in June 2019, promotes clean mobility

solutions in public procurement tenders, providing a solid boost to the demand and further

deployment of low- and zero-emission vehicles. The new Directive defines "clean vehicles" and sets

national targets for their public procurement. It applies to different means of public procurement,

including purchase, lease, rent and relevant services contracts. More information

https://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/urban/clean-vehicles-directive_en

- An Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Action Plan, including the report on the implementation of the

Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive 2014/94/EU, to support the deployment of an EU backbone

charging infrastructure. The Commission mobilised considerable investment of public and private

market actors through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the CEF blending facility and the CEF

debt instrument. Since 2014, more than EUR 6.8 billion of investments were thereby supported for

alternative fuels infrastructure and mobile assets, the vast majority being for infrastructure. In

particular the Blending Call for proposals launched in 2017/2018 aimed at combining grants with

bank lending. Moreover, considerable investment has been made in research and development to

support progress with technological and non-technological innovation. In this context, an important

role is played by the Intelligent Transport Systems Action Plan of 2008 and the C-ITS Strategy of

2016, and by transport-related research and innovation partnerships (Shift2Rail, SESAR, Clean Sky,

European Green Vehicles Initiative, Battery Alliance, Zero Emission Waterborne Transport, Fuel Cells

and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking). These are supported by and coordinated with European research

and innovation on more sustainable alternative fuels

- Two clean mobility-relevant initiatives under the package are still under negotiation between the

EU institutions. Such is the case of the Commission proposal for revised rules on road user charges

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/transport/vehicles/regulation_en

https://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/urban/clean-vehicles-directive_en

16

under the Eurovignette Directive 1999/62/EC and the Commission proposal for revised rules on

combined transport under the Combined Transport Directive (92/106/EEC) a key EU measure to

directly support modal shift from road-only transport to rail, inland waterways and short sea

transport.

The third Mobility Package included the following key policies for the transition towards low and

zero emission mobility:

- The CO2 standards for heavy duty vehicles, adopted through Regulation (EU) 1242/2019, which

apply from 14 August 2019. The standards set targets for reducing the average emissions from new

lorries for 2025 and 2030, introducing incentives for zero and low emission vehicles and a

governance mechanism inspired by the CO2 standards for cars and vans. Two additional measures

enable the implementation of the emission standards - the Certification Regulation - (EU) 2017/2400

on the determination of the CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of new lorries and Regulation (EU)

2018/956 on monitoring and reporting; more information here:

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/transport/vehicles/heavy_en

- A strategic Action Plan for the development and manufacturing of batteries in Europe. It brought

together a set of measures to support national, regional and industrial efforts to build a battery

value chain in Europe, embracing raw materials extraction, sourcing and processing, battery

materials, cell production, battery systems, as well as re-use and recycling. The Report on the

implementation of the Commission’s battery Action Plan shows that substantive progress has been

made in building the strategic value chain in Europe.

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/report-building-strategic-battery-value-c

hain-april2019_en.pdf The Commission is working together with many Member States and key

industry stakeholders to build a competitive, sustainable and innovative battery ecosystem in

Europe, covering the entire value chain. This is the main objective behind the European Battery

Alliance (EBA), an industry-led initiative, which the Commission launched back in October 2017, to

support the scaling up of innovative solutions and manufacturing capacity in Europe. The EBA is

helping to foster cooperation between industries and across the value chain, with support at both

the EU-level and from EU Member States.

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Title: Industrial Emissions Directive

The EU’s Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU (IED) does not include greenhouse gas

emission limits or binding energy efficiency standards for industrial installations as these

primarily fall under the scope of the EU ETS. Can the EU elaborate on whether there are plans

to revise the IED including any further improvements in synergy between the IED and the

ETS?

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/transport/vehicles/heavy_en

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/report-building-strategic-battery-value-chain-april2019_en.pdf

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/report-building-strategic-battery-value-chain-april2019_en.pdf

17


- The IED does not exclude all emission limits for all Greenhouse Gases (GHGs), but solely emission

limits for those GHGs and those installations which are in the scope of the ETS - For all sectors

(whether in the scope of the ETS, or excluded from the remit of the ETS), it is possible to identify

Best Available Techniques (BATs) to reduce GHG emissions. This can be carried out whether with or

without mandatory Associated Emissions Limit values (so-called BAT-AELs), or presently non-binding

BAT-associated environmental performance levels (so-called BAT-AEPLs) to impose energy efficiency

requirements. - The revision of the IED commenced in spring 2020, and the interaction of the IED

with efforts and instruments to decarbonise industry is one of the key points being formally

addressed during this IED revision. - In addition, synergetic interactions between the IED, the ETS

and policy-related technology advances are being examined during the IED revision, i.e., those that

might be expected to occur over the medium- to long-term, that could be linked to potential

future-oriented BAT requirements. Such BAT requirements and the necessary associated

investments may lead in any case to GHG reductions, derived from the necessary co-investment

(related to all relevant emissions to air, water and soil, including GHG emissions to air, as well as

enhanced Circular Economy concerns) in the techniques required to qualify for innovative levels of

BAT in the various sectors addressed by the IED.

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reduction target


Title: Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy

The EU Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy adopted in 2018 has a material-specific

lifecycle approach to plastics’ value chains including a vision for all plastic packaging placed

on the EU market to be reusable or recyclable by 2030. What are potential challenges that the

EU anticipates encountering?


In the EU circular economy action plan, a circular economy is explained as an economy ‘where the

value of products, materials and resources is maintained in the economy for as long as possible, and

the generation of waste minimised’. The transition to a circular economy is an opportunity to make

our economy more sustainable, to contribute to climate goals and the preservation of the world’s

resources. The circular economy strategy puts forward a number of actions and commitments for all

phases of the circular economy, including production, consumption, waste management, and for

boosting the market for secondary raw materials and water reuse. One potential challenge is to

increase recycling and recyclability of plastics, to increase the demand for recycled plastics and

improve the collection of plastics waste. To achieve this the legislative framework will need to be

18

revised, with more standards, more cooperation with industry and more R&D. Another potential

challenge is to reduce marine litter by restricting the production and demand for single use plastics

(the Directive 2019/904 on SUP and fishing gear (1) will be an important instrument in this area) and

to reduce the emissions of micro plastics. The implementation of this Strategy will deliver important

reductions in CO2 emissions. The most important contributions will come from the target, set for

2025, of 10 million tons of recycled plastics in new products and the target for all plastic packaging

placed on the EU market to be reusable or recyclable by 2030. A JRC study, not yet public, based on

the estimation that the annual generation of plastic waste in the EU is about 29.1 Mt, a total

(additional) annual GHG saving potential of nearly 25 Mt CO2-eq. can be estimated under the

assumption that the waste currently landfilled or incinerated is instead recycled. This roughly

corresponds to the average impact of 3.2 million of EU citizens or to a reduction potential in the

order of 0.64% of the total annual GHG emissions of EU27 (using 2018 as reference year). The

Impact assessment of Directive 904/2019 on SUP and fishing gear assumes that its implementation

will contribute to the equivalent of 3.4 million tonnes CO2 reduction by 2030.

(1) DIRECTIVE (EU) 2019/904 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCILof 5 June

2019on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, in:

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32019L0904

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reduction target


Title: LULUCF Regulation

Emissions and removals from the LULUCF sector are included for the first time in the EU

climate target through the so-called LULUCF Regulation (2018/841). What progress has the

EU made towards implementation of this regulation and what are the results so far?


The main progress made so far towards the implementation of the regulation 2018/841 is the

elaboration of forest reference level (FRL) for each Member State to apply between 2021 and 2025.

The LULUCF Regulation set out the rules for accounting emissions and removals for managed

forestland, including the process and the requirements for the submission of National Forestry

Accounting Plans (NFAP) containing the proposed FRLs. This process began in 2018 with a series of

consultations, the development of a guidance document, and the submission of a draft National

Forestry Accounting Plan and FRL by each Member State. In 2019, the Commission expert group on

Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry, including Member States, independent experts, and

various stakeholders including NGOs, assessed these draft submissions. In response to this, the

Commission made technical recommendations in June 2019 (SWD(2019) 213). Taking into account

the expert group’s views and the Commission’s recommendations, Member States submitted

revised plans and, where necessary, recalculated their FRL. The Commission published the revised

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32019L0904

19

FRLs proposed by Member States on 25 February 2020. The Commission then reviewed the revised

plans and FRLs. In May 2020, the expert group discussed the Commission’s assessment, and in June

2020 the expert group was consulted on the draft delegated act. The public provided views through

the public feedback mechanism over four weeks in August and September. The adopted delegated

act (C (2020) 7316)(1) and annex(2) is accompanied by a supportive document (SWD (2020) 236)(3)

detailing the Commission’s assessment and recalculations for five Member States. A forthcoming JRC

Science for Policy Report will provide additional technical insights.

(1): adopted delegated act (C (2020) 7316):

https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/3/2020/EN/C-2020-7316-F1-EN-MAIN-PART-1.PDF

(2): annex:

https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/3/2020/EN/C-2020-7316-F1-EN-ANNEX-1-PART-1.PD

F

(3): SWD (2020) 236:

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/regdel/web/delegatedActs/1437/documents/3246?lang=en

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Question by China at Friday, 04 September 2020


reduction target


Title: Agriculture emissions

According to projections of WEM scenario, the only sector with an increasing trend（from 2025

to2035）in GHG emission is agriculture. Could EU specify the drivers for this trend and identify key

challenges in controlling agriculture emissions?


In BR4 table 5-1 (page 90) and 5.1.3.4 (page 94) WEM GHG emissions projections depict a very slight

increase in agricultural emissions, driven by a moderate EU production expansion, mainly serving

export markets:

• 2020: 426.573 kt CO2-eq

• 2025: 425.056 kt CO2-eq

• 2030: 425.630 kt CO2-eq

• 3035: 427.038 kt CO2-eq

The main sources for agriculture emissions are from livestock (CH4 from enteric fermentation and

manure management) and soils nitrogen emissions due to fertilizer use. Key challenges in controlling

agricultural emissions within food systems, currently addressed under the EU Green Deal, are

https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/3/2020/EN/C-2020-7316-F1-EN-MAIN-PART-1.PDF

https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/3/2020/EN/C-2020-7316-F1-EN-ANNEX-1-PART-1.PDF

https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/3/2020/EN/C-2020-7316-F1-EN-ANNEX-1-PART-1.PDF

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/regdel/web/delegatedActs/1437/documents/3246?lang=en

20

strategic planning across countries, carbon pricing, transparency, knowledge and mitigation tool

availability at farm level, operational monitoring, reporting and verification systems, consumption

shifts towards healthier diets.

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Title: Revisit and periodical evaluation

According to the paragraph 4 of 1/CP.19, each developed country Party is urged to revisit quantified

economy- wide emission reduction targets under the Convention and evaluate the continuing

application of any conditions associated with its QEWERT with a view to adjusting, resolving or

removing such conditions. Has EU conducted the revisit and periodical evaluation mentioned above?


In addition to its unilateral 20% reduction commitment, the EU made a conditional offer to move to

a 30% reduction by 2020 compared to 1990 levels, as part of a global and comprehensive agreement

for the period beyond 2012, provided that other developed countries commit themselves to

comparable emission reductions and developing countries contribute adequately according to their

responsibilities and respective capabilities. While the conditions for the EU to move to a 30%

reduction by 2020 compared to 1990 levels have not been met, the EU remains on track to reach its

target of reducing GHG emissions by 20 % from 1990 levels by 2020 under the Convention (including

aviation as covered by EU legislation, excluding LULUCF) as well as its commitment for the Kyoto

Protocol second commitment period (average emissions between 2013-2020 below 80% of base

year emissions, jointly with Iceland). The Commission set out its vision for a climate-neutral EU in

November 2018, looking at all the key sectors and exploring pathways for the transition. The

European Parliament endorsed the net-zero greenhouse gas emissions objective in its resolution on

climate change in March 2019 and resolution on the European Green Deal in January 2020. The

European Council endorsed in December 2019 the objective of making the EU climate-neutral by

2050, in line with the Paris Agreement. As part of the European Green Deal, the Commission

proposed in September 2020 to raise the 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target, including

emissions and removals, to at least 55% compared to 1990. It looked at the actions required across

all sectors, including increased energy efficiency and renewable energy, and it starts the process of

making detailed legislative proposals by June 2021 to implement and achieve the increased

ambition. This will enable the EU to move towards a climate-neutral economy and implement its

commitments under the Paris Agreement by updating its Nationally Determined Contribution. The

2030 climate and energy framework includes EU-wide targets and policy objectives for the period

from 2021 to 2030. As part of the European Green Deal, the Commission proposed on 4 March 2020

the first European Climate Law to enshrine the 2050 climate-neutrality target into law.

21

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Title: Assumptions on projections

Taking considerations of the Covid-19, does EU have any adjustment on the assumptions on its WEM

and WAM projections for 2020 and 2030？


In June 2020, the Commission shared with Member States GHG projection parameter

recommendations to be used in national projections to be reported in 2021. These parameters

included already COVID impacts on GDP and fossil fuel prices based on then available May

knowledge. Moreover, the new EU Reference Scenario 2020, which is envisaged to be used for the

sensitivity analysis for the next UN reporting cycle, takes into account COVID adjusted assumptions.

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Title: Impact transparency

According to the TRR, EU reported impacts for most of its mitigation actions as "NE" in CTF table 3,

including the most significant PaMs such as the EU ETS and the ESD. Could EU provide more

clarifications on why these items are not estimated due to specific circumstances, especially the ETS,

ESD and Horizon 2020.

22


The quantification of mitigation impacts is reported by Member States, also for implementing EU

level climate relevant policies and measures. The EU has a monitoring mechanism under which

Member States report climate relevant information to, inter alia, implement monitoring and

reporting requirements under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, including on policies and

measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Member States report individually their policies

and measures, with quantitative information on the greenhouse gas savings achieved by, or

expected from the policies, where available. The information is collected and quality checked by the

European Environment Agency (EEA) and made available to the public and policy makers. (See

database at http://pam.apps.eea.europa.eu/) There are technical reasons, i.a. Member States do

not use common evaluation approaches and methodologies, and may use different assumptions or

find it difficult to separate the effects of individual policies from others. The impacts of individual

policies are quantified as part of the impact assessment process, and the estimates, where available,

are reported in CTF Table 3. For some policies, the impact is dependent upon national actions taken

at Member State level. The effects of these policies are reported in the submissions from those

parties. In addition, the European Commission considers the cumulative impact of Union policies on

GHG emissions when preparing new policy and legislative proposals. For example, the EU reference

scenario and impact assessment of the Clean Energy for All Europeans’ package were based on a

suite of economic models, which cover

• all greenhouse gas emissions

• greenhouse gas removals

• possible ways to cut emissions.

This economic modelling takes into account the collective impact of all policies in the relevant

scenario, taking into account synergies and interaction. Further details can be found here:

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/strategies/analysis_en As the impact assessment for the EU ETS

(SWD 2015/135) states: “The environmental outcome of the ETS is determined by its overall cap and

the EU climate ambition. The European Council has decided to reduce GHG emissions in sectors

covered by the ETS by 43% until 2030. Consequently, the environmental outcome of the ETS is

determined by the EU ambition in general terms and by the overall cap in particular. This means that

a limit is set on emissions allowed, corresponding to allowances, to ensure the reduction foreseen is

achieved.” The objective of the Effort Sharing Decision (ESD) is to reduce GHG emissions in the EU by

10% by 2020 compared to 2005 by setting national targets and to promote reductions of GHG

emissions within its scope in a fair and cost-effective manner. As the decision was based upon the

setting of national targets and the subsequent implementation of policies to achieve these, along

with flexibility that “no Member State should be required to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in

2020 to more than 20 % below 2005 levels nor allowed to increase its greenhouse gas emissions in

2020 to more than 20 % above 2005 levels.” To increase the transparency of reporting, there is an

additional column in the CTF table 3 included in the Appendix CTF Table3 of the 4BR, not present in

Excel, “4BR Comment”.

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http://pam.apps.eea.europa.eu/

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/strategies/analysis_en

23





Title: Target ambition

According to the TRR, EU member states have already collectively overachieved its 2020 target. Does

EU have any plan on increase the reduction target with more ambition?


In addition to its unilateral 20% reduction commitment, the EU made a conditional offer to move to

a 30% reduction by 2020 compared to 1990 levels, as part of a global and comprehensive agreement

for the period beyond 2012, provided that other developed countries commit themselves to

comparable emission reductions and developing countries contribute adequately according to their

responsibilities and respective capabilities. While the conditions for the EU to move to a 30%

reduction by 2020 compared to 1990 levels have not been met, the EU remains on track to reach its

target of reducing GHG emissions by 20 % from 1990 levels by 2020 under the Convention (including

aviation as covered by EU legislation, excluding LULUCF) as well as its commitment for the Kyoto

Protocol second commitment period (average emissions between 2013-2020 below 80% of base

year emissions, jointly with Iceland).

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Climate Dialogues 2020

Session closed at 03-11-2020

UNFCCC - LAST PAGE OF EXPORT

Documents

Multilateral Assessment - United Nations Framework