17/09/2020
The European Trade Union Confederation supports the European Commission’s proposal for a new -55% greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction target, but the plan to achieve it published today overlooks the just transition needed to make the change fair for workers.
Commenting on the 2030 Climate Target Plan, ETUC Confederal Secretary Ludovic Voet said:
“Trade unions support the Commission’s decision to step up its climate ambition and to adopt the new target of -55% GHG emissions by 2030. This sends the right signal that the EU is serious about fighting climate change. But now that the objective is clear, the hard part begins. To be credible, this new objective must go hand in hand with sufficient funding and bold policies to support the most affected workers.
“The new 2030 Climate Target Plan is incomplete as it fails to provide guarantees that sufficient funding will be made available to achieve a just transition. The recent decision from the EU Council to reduce the amount of the Just Transition Fund from €40 billion to €17,5 billion does not bode well for European workers.
“The plan also falls short when it comes to jobs, working conditions and governance. It fails to detail how new jobs will be created in affected regions and sectors and the effects that the new objective will have on working conditions is overlooked. We also regret that social dialogue is not part of the governance tools identified to achieve the new target.”