EU unveils ‘climate law’

Europe unveiled a landmark law yesterday to achieve "climate neutrality" by 2050, under the stern gaze of teenage activist Greta Thunberg who slammed it as meaningless.

The Swedish eco-warrior was in the Belgian capital for a Friday protest, but first attended a meeting of European commissioners, the top EU officials who will greenlight the draft law, that is rarely opened to outsiders.

Thunberg was also to appear before a European Parliament committee, a visit that has angered many MEPs who have been told to ban other visitors and key staff due to the coronavirus outbreak.

According to a leaked draft seen by AFP, the proposed climate text aims to enshrine into law the EU's grand ambition of zero net carbon emissions by mid-century.

It would give the EU executive new powers to impose emission targets on member state governments, a simple measure welcomed by greens and activists.

"One of the added values is to get out of the current situation where climate objectives are taken unanimously by the European Council" which brings together heads of state and government, said French liberal MEP Pascal Canfin.

But handing more power to the commission, the EU's executive arm, faces almost certain opposition from the national governments and the European Parliament which must ratify the proposal.

"Member states and parliament will hate it," said Quentin Genard of climate think tank E3G in a blog post. "Even the more pro-European and pro-climate action countries want to keep oversight over climate policies."

The goal of climate neutrality was approved by EU leaders at a rocky summit in June with coal-dependent Poland the only holdout.

It would bind the EU's 27 member states to balance polluting emissions and removals of greenhouse gases over the next thirty years.

But on Tuesday Thunberg said the widely leaked proposal does "absolutely nothing" for the climate emergency, in a joint letter with other young activists.

"Net zero emissions by 2050 for the EU equals surrender. It means giving up," the letter said.

"We don't just need goals for just 2030 or 2050. We, above all, need them for 2020 and every following month and year to come," it said.