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In her speech on the state of the European Union on 16/09/2020, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed that the Commission's new goal would be to reduce emissions by an ambitious 55% by 2030. By summer 2021, the Commission should therefore review climate and energy legislation in all sectors to enable such an ambitious target to be met. The new objective is based on a comprehensive assessment of social, economic, and environmental impacts and is intended to stimulate investment in a resource-efficient economy, encourage technological innovation and create so-called "green jobs". To support the necessary investments, the Commission has adopted a new European Renewable Energy Financing Mechanism to make it easier for Member States to finance projects in this area. The mechanism is due to enter into force in early 2021.
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On 17/09/2020, the European Commission published a Communication entitled "Strengthening Europe's Climate Ambitions 2030: Investing in a Climate-Neutral Future for the Benefit of Citizens". The Commission states in the Communication that farmers should be directly encouraged to increase carbon sequestration in soil and forests through a carbon sequestration certification mechanism. As part of the impact assessment published by the Commission together with the Communication, the Commission presents several possible scenarios, favouring the creation of a new AFOLU (agriculture, forestry, other land-use) instrument linking the agricultural, forestry, and other land-using sectors. AFOLU could operate in accordance with the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). By 2050, the AFOLU sector could contribute to the offset of 425 Mt CO2. The Common Agricultural Policy should also contribute, for example by reducing the volume of fertilizers used.
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Last week, the European Commission presented the Commission's work plan for 2021. The work plan should help meet the 55% emission reduction target by 2030. In this context, the European Commission plans to revise the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and the carbon offset mechanism at borders next year, the revision of the Emissions Trading Scheme, as well as the revision of land use rules, land use change and forestry, and for greenhouse gas emissions.
More information is available here.

On 18/09/2020, the European Commission launched a call for research and innovation projects in the context of the Europe Green Deal the climate crisis, and the need to protect ecosystems and biodiversity. The call falls under Horizon 2020, with a total of €1 billion allocated to support projects. Projects funded under this call should deliver results in the areas of strengthening climate ambition (moving to climate-neutral packaging, forest fire prevention); clean and affordable energy (renewables); circular economies; Farm to Fork (with a focus on the sustainability of food systems); or Biodiversity and ecosystems (restoration of biodiversity and ecosystem services). The deadline for submitting proposals is 26/01/2021, it is expected that the selected projects will start in the autumn of 2021.
More information is available here and here.

The European Parliament adopted a European Parliament resolution on the EU's role in protecting and restoring the world's forests on 16/09/2020 during the EP plenary session. In its Resolution, Parliament emphasized the need to make further significant progress in developing and implementing an EU protein crop strategy and ensuring robust protein crop production in the EU in order to reduce the risk of deforestation in other parts of the world. It further emphasizes that this progress should be made, inter alia, through the wider adoption of crop rotation with support and guidance for farmers in areas suitable for protein crops, and that this activity would reduce dependence on imports, deforestation, degradation and pressure on forests as a result of land use change; calls, therefore, for sustainability criteria to be introduced for imports of vegetable proteins. The resolution aims not only at the EU, but especially at promoting the protection of forests in the world.
More information is available here.