
The "Fit for 55" climate protection programme
Includes a socially-responsible transition.
IF – 08/2021
The European Commission (EC) presented its
comprehensive climate protection programme in mid-July. With "Fit for
55", which consists of twelve individual acts, the European Union (EU) aims to reduce emissions by at least 55% by the year 2030. Ideally, there
should be virtually no CO2 emissions at all by 2050. The programme was
presented by several members of the EC, as it is a cross-sectoral issue that
affects almost all policy areas such as climate, energy, land use, transport
and taxation. The "European Green Deal" has been the basis for
sustainable climate protection, including social impacts, since 2020 (see News 01.2020) and is a forerunner to this publication.
Economy and employment will be directly affected
The EC hopes that this climate protection
programme will have a positive impact on the economy and employment.
Accompanying measures, such as further training opportunities for employees and
higher investment, could well create nearly one million new jobs by 2030. By
2050, this number is expected to double to two million, especially with a focus
on middle-skilled and middle-income jobs in construction and manufacturing in
industry and crafts. However, the actual impact will vary from member state to
member state and from sector to sector. The more jobs that are created, the
more contributions will flow into the social security systems to help during
future crises in the labour markets.
Climate protection must be socially acceptable
Climate change is having a disastrous
effect, as can currently be seen throughout the EU. People are suffering as a
result of floods or drought and what is needed here is not only human
solidarity but also strong social policies and a market economy. Especially in
the areas affected by climate change, no group of people nor European region
should be left behind now or in the future. The social aspect in the climate
programme is of central importance.
Creating a climate social fund
A new climate social fund will provide
financial resources for member states to support vulnerable European citizens.
Many households are affected by rising energy costs, so more support should be
given to financially-vulnerable people, small businesses and transport users.
Outlook
The EC is trying to realign the economy and
society within the EU in order to reach the climate targets and to protect
Europe as an industrial location. The initiatives and the stipulated targets
are ambitious. It remains to be seen whether implementation will work equally
well in each member state, so that a European success could be possible in
2050.
The individual climate protection programme
packages and sector-specific fact sheets can be found here.