Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1388399
15 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 30 JUNE 2021 EUROPE This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. These articles reflect only the authors' view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. "Already setting a target would require member states to think about supporting measures that can bring GHG emission reduction. Most member states did not need any reduction in GHG emis- sions from agriculture to meet the 2020 emission target. How- ever, for 2030 the targets are much more challenging and for most countries, in order to achieve them, the agriculture sector would have to contrib- ute too." In that sense we are partly optimistic, he added. "On the other hand, we saw targets that some member states set for emissions from agricul- ture during 2014-2020 and we noticed that either the targets were not ambitious or that in reality the targets were not met." The audit report is full of in- teresting data and graphs but a clear overview of the total emission reductions (or in- creases) from the total agricul- tural sector by member state is missing. "We of course have analysed data but we needed to limit the length of our report," he explained. "Moreover, it was not possible to share the data on GHG emissions from ag- riculture for all countries in a user-friendly way. Concerning the tracking of funds used for climate action, there is data available at EU level (over €100 billion) but not at member state level." "In relation to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, it should be noted that agricultural emis- sions have been reduced by more than 20% since 1990," the Commission commented. "This reduction occurred while agricultural production continued to grow. As a result, the climate footprint per unit of output in the EU continued to improve and it is one of the lowest worldwide." That said, the Commission admits that the reduction has stopped in the recent years. "We are aware that more needs to be done in terms of climate and emissions to achieve the EU's ambitious climate targets for 2030 (reaching at least a reduction of 55% of emissions by 2030 in the EU). The EU will continue working towards achieving this target." The Commission underlines that the new CAP will provide more tools to support further the national climate strategies for the achievement of higher 2030 emissions reduction tar- gets. "In this respect, the new CAP will set a strong link between the national CAP Strategic plans and the national climate and energy plans." EU agriculture has reduced its GHG emissions over the last three decades and almost all member states have reduced emissions of methane (CH4) from agriculture since 1990, according to the Commission. "Total methane (CH4) emis- sions from the livestock sec- tor in the EU-28 decreased by 21.2% from 1990 to 2017." "The new CAP must be more ambitious regarding climate action, both mitigation and adaptation," a Commission source said. There are common EU cli- mate objectives. "The member states will have to describe in their CAP Strategic plans how their 'green architecture' will allow the objectives and targets set at EU level to be reached, using the instruments available at EU level." The Commission will assess the CAP Strategic Plans and promises to carefully take into consideration the climate am- bition. How much greener will it be?