Entrepreneurs disturbed by lack of knowledge of EU climate package effects
Estonia is forming its opinion of the European Union's "Fit for 55" climate package but entrepreneurs are worried there is not enough information or knowledge.
The Riigikogu's Economic Affairs Committee chairman Kristen Michal (Reform) said the committee will phrase its opinion regarding the package on Tuesday.
He said the feedback received by entrepreneurs on Monday shows the goal of transition to climate neutrality is supported but it is important to do it at an executable pace.
"Estonia's goal at the negotiations should be for the goals to be executable, reachable and realistic. Regarding entrepreneurship, the current feedback stipulates that certain sectors consider it manageable and reachable, some sectors do not consider it realistic to reach the goal in this time. It's important to see how these pieces interact with each other," Michal said.
One of the main concerns for entrepreneurs is the lack of knowledge of the effects which occur with the transition.
Technical director of the Viru Chemistry Group Meelis Eldermann said: "The impact assessments of single areas have not been done and the overall impact assessments of sectors also have not been done. The oil shale impact analysis has been done incompletely and it's difficult to assess the European Commission's proposals through that."
Michal said: "What the Economic Committee and the business community are expecting, is a more complete picture of what it means for us now that we are moving somewhere in climate policy. How do these goals fit together, what will replace what, what will it cost. It's a huge process, with the relationship between the different parts still unclear."
The Ministry of the Environment's assessment states the European Union leaves enough flexibility to the member states to implement the objectives, and so it is worth assessing the effects once the framework has become clearer at the European Union level. Then it will also be possible to analyze what is the best route for Estonia to reach this goal.
The Fit for 55 is the European Union climate package in the framework of which, the EU has set itself a binding target of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. This requires current greenhouse gas emission levels to drop substantially in the next decades.
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Editor: Roberta Vaino
