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Copyright of SWS - Rundschau is the property of Verein fur interdisziplinare sozialwissenschaftliche Studien und Analysen and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Fit for 55 package is the main project of European climate policy and aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030 and achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050. It includes measures such as expanding emissions trading, reducing energy consumption, and expanding renewable energies. Regulations for taxing electricity and energy products are also being introduced, and CO2 emissions from cars are to be reduced. Another component is the introduction of a border adjustment mechanism for energy-intensive basic materials. The European Commission has presented various proposals for environmental and climate policy, which have been discussed in the European Parliament. The implementation of the proposals is closely linked to investment programs to address the economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, EU environmental and climate policy is influenced by different responsibilities and interests of the member states. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of GAIA: Ecological Perspectives for Science & Society is the property of Oekom Verlag GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Diversitätsforschung und -Management is the property of Verlag Barbara Budrich GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Yearbook of European Integration is a unique source of information on the latest developments in the European Union. It contains over 100 carefully selected and edited contributions from experts in their respective fields. This year's edition covers topics such as foreign and security policy, environmental and climate policy, energy policy, rule of law, crisis management, regional and cohesion policy, as well as domestic developments in various member states. The Yearbook also provides analyses of the EU's relationship with its neighboring countries, including the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkan states. The project is carried out by the Institute for European Politics in cooperation with the Center for Applied Policy Research at the University of Munich and the Center for Turkey and EU Studies at the University of Cologne, and is supported by the Federal Foreign Office. [Extracted from the article]

At the European Council's December 2008 summit and with the European Parliament's decision a week later, a political agreement was reached on the Commission's Climate-Energy package of January 2008, which will profoundly shape Europe's climate policy for the next decade. Europe is therefore the first actor in the run up to the global climate negotiations in Copenhagen to come forward with a detailed program confirmed by parliament. Center of attention in the negotiations was the EU's emissions trading system. From 2013 this will be centrally administered by the European Commission and so guarantee the same conditions throughout Europe. In order to get all the member states to agree, however, the French Council presidency had to include numerous derogations in a compromise package: the promised reduction targets were not changed, but the effectiveness of the instruments was weakened. Alongside the Directive on emissions trading a decision was passed that imposes limits on member states' discharge of greenhouse gases in the sectors not covered by the emissions trading regime. These targets are legally binding by 2020. Though only mentioned in passing in the media a Directive on renewable energy was passed that for the first time includes all sectors - that is, electricity generation, transport, and heating / cooling - and also lays down binding national levels by 2020. Alongside these central aspects of future European climate policy outline conditions and financing mechanisms for carbon capture and storage technology and for emissions caps for new cars were legally enshrined. While its final compromise means that the European Union formally retains its leadership role in the campaign against climate change, at the same time it has left a number of losers at various levels. One of them is the European Parliament. Under pressure of time and the member states' entrenchment, MEPs were confronted with a matter of conscience but were severely constrained in bringing to bear their own long nurtured and ambitious position. The developing countries may be regarded as the second losers. They are largely innocent victims of anthropogenic climate change, yet for the most part they are excluded from relief measures within the framework of Western climate policy. The EU heads of state and government denied them financial aid from the emissions trading system and technological support. Despite its flaws, the scope of the compromise package is of enormous significance and its targets are ambitious. Europe is therefore entitled to claim its exemplary role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]