Communications, Climate Action and Environment Committee to examine EU Legislative Proposals

Officials from the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment; the Environmental Protection Agency; the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Joseph Curtin, Institute of International and European Affairs will attend the Committee for scrutiny of the following EU Legislative Proposals:

COM (2016) 479: Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land use, land use change and forestry into the 2030 climate and energy framework and amending Regulation No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council on a mechanism for monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and other information relevant to climate change.

and COM (2016) 482 : Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States from 2021 to 2030 for a resilient Energy Union and to meet commitments under the Paris Agreement and amending Regulation No 525/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council on a mechanism for monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and other information relevant to climate change.

Committee Chair Hildegarde Naughton TD said: “As part of the EU’s efforts to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, the European Commission has proposed a regulation COM (2016) 479 regarding the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land use and forestry in the EU 2030 climate and energy framework. This would be the first time that the land-use sector is formally included in EU climate policy. The proposed regulation would require Member States to balance emissions and removals from the land-use sector over two five-year periods between 2021 and 2030.

“At our meeting on 27 September 2016, it was agreed that COM (2016) 479 warranted further scrutiny. It was also agreed that Department Officials and representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency and other experts be invited to give a detailed brief to the Joint Committee on this proposal and its implications, along with an explanation as to whether bog lands are defined as being under the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry sector for the purposes of this proposal.

“COM (2016) 482 is a legislative proposal by the European Commission which sets out binding annual greenhouse gas emission targets for EU Member States for the period 2021–2030. These targets cover sectors of the economy that fall outside the scope of the EU Emissions Trading System. These sectors, including transport, buildings, agriculture and waste management, account for almost 60% of total EU emissions. At our meeting on 27 September, it was agreed that this proposal warranted further scrutiny and the Committee agreed that Department Officials and representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency and other experts be invited to give a detailed brief to the Joint Committee on this proposal and its implications.”

This meeting will take place in Committee Room 2, Leinster House at 5pm tomorrow, Tuesday, 25 October 2016.

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