The Flemish government has asked the European Commission to postpone the debate on greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2040, regional environment minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) announced on Sunday.
Demir argued that it is “important to focus on implementing the commitments already made”.
Meanwhile, the Commission is currently finalising its consultation on the 2040 targets, intermediate between those already agreed for 2030 and the carbon neutrality target set for 2050. It expects to adopt a proposal in the first quarter of 2024.
Demir however is opposed to making targets more ambitious than they are currently, stating that the three parties in the Flemish government (N-VA, CD&V and Open Vld) feel that now is not the time to open this discussion.
“The attention of the Member States over the next few years must be on achieving the 2030 targets, which are already ambitious. In our view, the nature of these short-term challenges justifies postponing the discussion on the 2040 target,” Demir wrote in a letter sent to the EU executive.
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“The Flemish government is of the opinion that the priority of the European Commission must be to help Member States accelerate the transition from imported fossil fuels and ensure the availability of affordable energy, by implementing the agreed dossiers.”
Demir assured that the Flemish government will be constructive in the discussions on setting the 2040 targets, but only “when the time is ripe”.
