We participated and expressed our positions at the Environment Parliamentary Committee
On 3rd November 2021 we took part at a discussion of the Environment Parliamentary Committee on the newly adopted EU goal for at least 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and the proposed national legislative package for the Republic of Cyprus to achieve this target.
Based on the new EU agreement, Cyprus must reduce its emissions at 32% by 2030, compared to the existing target of 24%.
During the discussion, we expressed our positions and suggestions on the issue, emphasizing the need to adopt and implement more ambitious policies and measures, to achieve the new goal.
What should be understood by everyone, said our Executive Director Lefkios Sergides, is that radical socio-economic changes need to take place if we want to achieve both the existing and the new targets. The Government must apply effective and immediate changes at various emitting sectors of the economy, rather than seek for ways to avoid the implementation of the EU agreement.
At the same time though, it is necessary to design and adopt effective monitoring schemes for the implementation of the necessary actions and investments of the state, which will ensure the gradual, smooth and on-time achievement of both the existing and the newly revised goal.
It is for this reason we suggested, among other things, to create at least an annual checklist of climate actions and investments, separate from the annual national budget, which will be publicly available and will clearly indicate the degree of implementation of our national goals deriving from the National Action Plan for Energy and Climate. This will be particularly helpful for the more ambitious actions and policies that will be adopted to achieve the goals of Fit for 55.
You can read the positions we submitted at the meeting HERE