Goal to increase carbon absorption by 15% by 2030
Binding 2030 targets set for all member states
Stricter monitoring and penalties for non-compliance
New EU rules increase the EU’s carbon dioxide absorption target in the land use and forestry sector. These will allow the Union to reduce its emissions by up to 57% by 2030.
The Parliament adopted the revised regulation on the land use, land-use change and forestry sector with 479 votes in favour, 97 against, and 43 abstentions. The revised rules are intended to improve natural carbon dioxide removal, i.e., the absorption of carbon dioxide in soil and forests, which absorb more carbon dioxide than they emit. This will enable the European Union to achieve a balance between carbon emissions and removals by 2050, thus becoming the first climate-neutral continent. It will also help to improve biodiversity, as required by the European Green Deal plan.
Stricter EU and national carbon removal targets
The EU has set a new target for the net volume of greenhouse gases absorbed in the land-use sector to reach 310 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent by 2030. This is approximately 15% more than at present. This target should help further reduce the EU’s 2030 greenhouse gas emissions – instead of the originally planned 55%, emissions could be reduced by as much as approximately 57% compared to 1990 levels.
Binding 2030 targets for the volume of carbon dioxide absorbed and emitted in the land-use sector have been set for all member states. These targets were determined taking into account absorption levels in recent years and their growth potential. The currently applicable rules will continue to apply until 2025. Under these, EU countries must ensure that emissions in the land-use sector do not exceed removals. From 2026 onwards, EU countries will no longer have to meet annual targets but must instead achieve a specific sum of emissions and removals over a four-year period (the so-called 2026-2029 budget).
Governance, flexibility and monitoring
To reach their targets, member states will be able to purchase carbon absorption credits from one another, as granted by the Land Use Regulation and the Effort Sharing Regulation. In the event of natural disasters, such as forest fires, a special flexibility mechanism will guarantee compensation.
Monitoring, reporting and verification of carbon emissions and absorption will be improved, allowing more precise tracking of EU member states' progress towards meeting their targets. To this end, geographical and remote sensing data will be used more extensively.
If a member state’s progress is insufficient, it will be required to take corrective measures. Penalties will also be applied for non-compliance: 108% of the greenhouse gases exceeding the total target set for 2026-2029 will be added to the state’s 2030 target. To ensure the EU can meet its goal, the Commission will submit a progress report no later than six months after the first global stocktake (the “global stocktake” provided for in the Paris Agreement). If necessary, the Commission will come forward with additional legislative proposals.
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Following the vote, rapporteur Ville Niinistö (Greens/EFA, Finland) said: “Over the last decade, natural absorption in the European Union has been shrinking. This legislation will ensure that the land-use sector also contributes to overcoming the climate crisis, as we now have a more ambitious target and safeguards such as better data and stricter reporting requirements, greater transparency, as well as a review by 2025. For the first time, this piece of legislation takes into account both biodiversity and the climate crisis, and member states will also have to adhere to the ‘do no significant harm’ principle.”
Next steps
Once the text of the regulation is officially approved by the Council, it will be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force after 20 days.
Background information
The revised land-use sector regulation is part of the EU Green Deal legislative package. With the help of this set of EU laws, it is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% compared to 1990 levels in accordance with the European Climate Law.