On 25 and 26 March, a meeting of the European Union (EU) Environment Council and several other related high-level meetings were held in Brussels. Latvia was represented at them by Minister for Climate and Energy Kaspars Melnis. This was the first meeting of the Environment Council at which the process for the EU's 2040 climate targets was discussed.

At the end of 2020, EU Member States agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared with 1990, and to achieve climate neutrality in 2050. The path towards climate neutrality in 2050 is divided into several stages. To ensure a gradual transition from 2030 to 2050, 2040 is a crucial intermediate stage.

In the discussion on the 2040 targets, Minister K. Melnis pointed out that measures aimed at reducing emissions must take account of the socio-economic situation in all Member States. Public awareness and readiness for change are equally important. Public funding alone is not enough to ensure the transition to a climate-neutral economy; private investment is just as important. To this end, it is particularly important to integrate the funds needed to achieve climate neutrality, including in the EU's multiannual budget after 2027. It is important not only to maintain Europe's competitiveness, but also to consider, at Member State level, the applicability and availability of the necessary technologies. It is very important to ensure that people have access to clean electricity, heating, transport services and food at affordable prices.

“Before we decide on further measures, the policy documents and legislation for the period up to 2030 must be approved. We are still facing challenges, particularly in sectors such as heating and cooling, which have considerable decarbonisation potential that is currently not fully exploited,” K. Melnis stressed at the meeting of environment ministers.

The minister also called on the European Commission not to delay publication of the heat pump action plan and to draw up a comprehensive EU heating and cooling strategy, so that further discussions on the 2040 climate targets can be more substantive.

In Latvia, attention is currently focused mainly on updating the National Energy and Climate Plan 2020-2030 (NECP). Over the course of two months, extensive consultations have been held with 41 cooperation partners in order to improve the updated NECP. This is a unique and transparent process. The proposals received from the sectoral ministries are currently being compiled by the Ministry of Climate and Energy in cooperation with modellers, in order to assess the impact of these measures on the green targets.

“To increase Latvia's resilience to climate change, we must integrate climate risk assessment into our policy documents at all levels – European, national and local. Decision-making must be based on scientific evidence and must ensure immediate action,” said K. Melnis. At the same time, he drew the attention of European leaders to the critical situation faced by every EU Member State – climate risks are growing faster than our preparedness.

The Ministry of Climate and Energy has begun an analysis of the European Commission's Communication and its impact assessment, evaluating the possible challenges of the target scenario proposed by the Commission and its potential impact on Latvia's economy. The analysis is scheduled to be completed in the summer of this year. The next meeting of the Environment Council this year will take place in mid-June.

In addition to the EU Council of Ministers, the minister also met the climate ministers of Lithuania and Estonia to discuss the situation in the Baltic States and their progress in meeting climate targets and achieving climate neutrality. Minister K. Melnis also met the Secretary-General of the European Commission, Ilze Juhansone, as well as Executive Vice-President of the Commission Valdis Dombrovskis, discussing the EU's economic development and growth forecasts and the availability of fund financing for Latvia both for meeting climate targets and for energy projects. The minister also briefed V. Dombrovskis on the development of energy production from renewable energy sources in Latvia and on progress with the National Energy and Climate Plan.