Denmark and 11 other EU member states have sent an open letter to Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans calling for the European Commission (EC) to present a plan on how to enhance the EU’s 2030 climate target as soon as possible, the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities announced Tuesday.
The ministry said that 12 EU member states have come together to encourage the EC to speed up the process and present a plan for the enhancement of the EU’s 2030 target as soon as possible and by June at the latest.
The countries that signed the letter along with Denmark are Austria, Finland, France, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
“The EU has both the ability and potential to lead by example and help create a wave of global climate momentum but that requires a timely decision to enhance our 2030 target,' the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, Dan Jorgensen, was quoted as saying.
Jorgensen added 'the sooner we have a solid basis for that decision the better. That is why we are calling on the EC to present their plan for an increased target as soon as possible.”
The ministry stressed that all parties to the Paris Agreement are required to revisit their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) this year, and ahead of the UN’s international climate conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November.
“2020 has to be a year of climate ambition and everyone has to deliver. If anyone were in need of more reasons to act decisively, the recurring theme of extreme weather is a constant reminder of the urgency of the situation,” Jorgensen noted.
By Ebru Sengul Cevrioglu
Anadolu Agency
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