May 09, 2019

Anna Murray 

Eight European Union member countries have called for a more ambitious strategy to tackle climate change ahead of a major summit gathering European leaders in the Romanian city of Sibiu on May 9 to discuss the future of Europe and EU strategy for the next five years, from 2021 to 2027.
The joint statement of Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden urged the EU to cut emissions to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. They also demanded that at least a quarter of the EU budget be spent on projects to tackle climate change, adding that the "EU budget should not finance any policy detrimental to this objective".
EU budgets have spending limits regulated by the multiannual financial framework (MFF). The current one allowed the EU to spend a bit more than €900bn from 2014 to 2020. The eight-nation group is eyeing the next MFF framework for the 2021-2027 period.

But there are 28 countries in the EU, and several absentees from the joint statement are significant players such as Germany, Italy, and Poland. "By demonstrating that an ambitious and cost-effective transition towards a net-zero emissions economy can go hand-in-hand with prosperity and quality of life for all citizens, the EU will set an example for other countries to follow," the joint statement said.

Photo:Webshot.