EU leaders agree to 2050 carbon neutrality deal without Poland
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After marathon talks in Brussels, the leaders of European Union member states — bar Poland — agreed early Friday to commit to going carbon neutral by 2050.
“We have reached an agreement on climate change, it is very important, it was crucial, for Europe to show strong ambition,” EU Council President Charles Michel said.
The summit was the first since European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled her “European Green Deal” — a plan to overhaul the EU economy and achieve climate neutrality by the middle of the century.
EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen (L) and President of the European Council Charles Michel (R) give a press conference at the end of an European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, 13 December 2019. EPA-EFE/OLIVIER HOSLET
The 2050 goal is a key commitment under the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. In order to meet it, EU countries will have to slash carbon emissions generated by fossil fuels and find ways to offset remaining emissions.
Poland, which gets 80% of its power from coal, resisted the plan during hours of intense debate and was ultimately left out of the commitment.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced he had secured an exemption from 2050 climate neutrality but said the bloc had offered generous funding for regions that would be “most affected” by the fossil fuel phaseout.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters that Warsaw would now have until a summit in June 2020 to decide whether it can commit to implementing the goal.
