Romanian Journal of European Affairs (Dec 2021)
European Climate Law(s): Assessing the Legal Path to Climate Neutrality
Abstract
The European Green Deal (EGD) is the European Union’s comprehensive policy framework, intended to set the vision for the first climate-neutral economy by 2050, in compliance with the Paris Agreement. Achieving this ambitious goal will require a radical transformation in European production and consumption patterns, and climate action lies at the core of this transition process. As the first legal initiative implementing the EGD, the European Climate Law makes climate neutrality a legally binding objective. It also empowers the European Commission to set the trajectory for achieving this goal by 2050. This legal act will clear the path for a more integrated climate policy. However, the current climate targets, although recently updated by the European Climate Law, are not yet in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement or the EU’s ambition of becoming climate neutral in 2050. This paper looks at recent changes in EU’s climate and energy law brought about by the EGD. Based on this analysis, its main objective is to assess whether the new policies constitute a suitable legal path to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
