The European Union Member States pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990. The exact way to achieve this is still uncertain, but Estonia is optimistic about its upcoming climate legislation.

In February, the European Commission proposed that the percentage of emissions reductions could reach 90 percent by 2040. This would be another milestone towards the European Union's goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

Kristi Klaas, deputy secretary general for green transition at the Ministry of Climate, said the 2040 target has to be agreed by national leaders. Maybe there will be an agreement in June, maybe in the fall, but Estonia's positions should be finalized in three weeks.

According to a draft recently circulated to stakeholders, Estonia states that it is realistic to reduce carbon emissions by 80-85 percent with current technologies.

"Minus 90 percent, as proposed by the European Commission, is a reasonable target, but we have to keep in mind that the new technologies necessary for that would need to be available by then," Klaas said.

European Commission on carbon capture

For instance, the European Commission proposed capturing and using at least 250 million metric tons of CO₂ annually in the European Union by 2040.

The Estonian Climate Ministry said the technologies needed to do this have not yet been commercially proven. "There is no knowledge about their reliability, potential negative environmental impacts, and costs," the ministry said.

The ministry proposed that Estonia's position should be that 10 percent of the carbon reduction target should be linked to the conformity assessment of technological development. The assessment will take place in 2032.

"In this case, technology readiness needs to be assessed on a sectoral basis," Klaas said, adding that a model linking the technology to climate goals still needs to be developed as well. She stressed that the mere existence of technology is not enough.

"It is also often the case that smaller Member States have less access to new technologies and the funding that supports the development of new technologies may not be equally accessible to all," Klaas said.

Estonian conditions stipulate a fairer transition

In other words, the Ministry of Climate expects new technologies to reach everyone equally. The document drafted by the ministry puts some conditions on the 90 percent target.

These include fully meeting the 2030 climate goals, ensuring business competitiveness and investment certainty, and new offsets, i.e., a stronger focus on a just transition.

Klaas pointed out that discussions on 2040 are still in their early stages. "Once the Council has endorsed this overall goal, the new Commission will present a legislative package next year."

"We may also need to develop detailed positions on various pieces of legislation in collaboration with various partners later on," Klaas said.

Klaas added there are also some EU member states that want to set very ambitious targets. "But for the most part, there is a very constructive discussion around the table about how we can take practical steps to achieve these goals."

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