'Fit for 55': delivering the EU's 2030 Climate Target on the way to climate neutrality.

The Fit for 55 Package is a policy at EU level. The goal of this policy is to achieve climate neutrality through the transformational change needed across the economy, society and industry. The Fit for 55 Package is a set of interconnected proposals, which all drive towards the same goal of ensuring a fair, competitive and green transition by 2030 and beyond. The package presents five new initiatives, across a range policy areas and economic sectors: climate, energy and fuels, transport, buildings, land use and forestry. The Fit for 55 Package offers significant opportunities to develop, deploy and export low-carbon technologies and green jobs and creates new opportunities for investment. Investments in a low carbon economy will be promoted to spur economic growth and jobs, accelerate the clean energy transition, increase long-term competitiveness and play a role in the green recovery.
The policy stresses on the importance of intergenerational and international actions to give urgent response to the climate and biodiversity emergencies. In this context, the EU sets ambitious targets for reducing net emissions and for being the first climate neutral continent by 2050. However, the policy underlines that delivering the global emission reduction that the world needs cannot be achieved only by EU action. The Fit for 55 Package aims to deliver the EU’s increased emission reductions target to the benefit of all Europeans and also to support the EU’s green recovery from the pandemic, help spread environmental standards beyond EU borders and boost innovation in the products and technologies of the future.
A new Social Climate Fund will be established to provide dedicated funding to Member States to support European citizens most affected or at risk of energy or mobility poverty. Moreover, this fund will enable Member States to support vulnerable low and middle-income households, transport users, and micro-enterprises affected by the impact of the extension of emission trading to building and transport, and will also finance access to zero- and low- emission mobility. The integrated planning, implementation and monitoring of the green transition towards 2030 will be ensured with the forthcoming revisions of National Energy and Climate Plans and Governance Regulation. EU Emission Trading System will be strengthened and applied to new sectors. The size and scope of the Innovation Fund will be extended to provide support to projects in the form of carbon contracts for difference to trigger emission reductions in industry. Effort Sharing Regulation will be revised to empower Member States to take national action to tackle emissions in the buildings, transport, agriculture, waste and small industry sectors. Industrial transformation will be achieved by setting new requirements for industry to decarbonise production processes and by supporting innovation. CO2 emission standards will be updated to further reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the vehicles and thus prevent air pollution. In order to promote sustainable maritime fuels, FuelEU Maritime proposal will create new requirements for ships, regardless of their flag, arriving to or departing from EU ports, by imposing a maximum limit on the greenhouse gas content of the energy they use and making these limits more stringent over time. EU's energy system will be transformed to save more energy and use more renewables in the energy. Reduction in energy consumption will lead to reduction in both emissions and energy costs for consumers and industry. The tax system for energy products will be revised to both preserve the internal market and support the green transition by setting the right incentives.
Climate change mitigation and adaptation will be integrated into biodiversity conservation to ensure green transition. Actions will be taken to increase the capacity of the EU’s forests, soils, wetlands and peatlands, oceans, and water bodies to act as carbon sinks and stocks. In addition to that, agricultural sector will be modernised with an emphasis on good farming practices, soil quality and food security. Sustainability criteria for bioenergy will be strengthened by extending their scope of application. The policy framework on forestry and soil management will be strengthened to safeguard EU’s natural carbon sinks, ensure that biodiversity has a key place in the overall approach and support the crucial social and economic functions of forestry and forest-based sectors.