The European Green Deal At A Glance

The EU's roadmap for the green transformation process required by the Paris Climate Agreement has been set out in theEuropean Green Deal (ECC). Announced on December 11, 2019 by European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen, the ECC has entered the literature as the EU's new growth strategy aiming to make Europe the world's first climate-neutral continent with net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The ECC, which envisages a resource-efficient, competitive and modern economic structure for the EU, is the name of a radical transformation plan covering many areas from production to trade, energy to transportation, agriculture to taxation. In order to achieve the objectives of the CC, it is planned to realize sustainable investments of around EUR 1 trillion over a 10-year period.

In the period since the adoption of the ECC, various strategies, policy changes and legislation have been adopted at sectoral level in areas such as decarbonization of energy systems, sustainable and smart transport systems, circular economy, trade, industry, sustainable agriculture and food supply, and biodiversity conservation.

Decarbonization of the energy system, responsible for more than 75% of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions, is at the heart of the transformation envisaged by the ECC. In line with the ECC targets, the EU aims to ensure a reliable and affordable energy supply, develop a fully integrated, connected and digital energy market, prioritize energy efficiency, improve energy performance in buildings and create an electricity system based on a majority of renewable sources.

In order to contribute to the implementation of the ECC in energy, important policy documents have been published to date, such as the Energy System Integration Strategy, the Hydrogen Strategy, the Renovation Strategy for the building sector, the Methane Strategy, the Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy, the Energy Systems Integration Strategy.

The transport sector accounts for around a quarter of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions. According to the ECC, in order to achieve the climate-neutral target, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation should be reduced by 90 percent by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. In this context, the European Commission published its "Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy" on December 9, 2020.

In the industrial sector, the "Green Deal Industrial Plan" was announced by the European Commission on February 1, 2023 to support the competitiveness and production capacity of Europe's net zero industry in line with the EU's 2050 climate-neutrality target.

The Green Deal Industrial Plan consists of four key priority areas: a predictable, harmonized and simplified administrative framework, facilitating access to finance, skills development and open trade for resilient supply chains. On February 6, 2024, the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission reached a political consensus on the "Net Zero Industrial Law" under the first sub-heading.

The "Circular Economy Action Plan", announced by the European Commission on March 11, 2020, includes measures that promote circular economy processes throughout the life cycles of products on the basis of environmental protection, support sustainable consumption and aim to keep resources in the EU economy for as long as possible.

Within the scope of the ECC, the "Farm to Fork Strategy", which closely concerns the agriculture sector, and the EU, "2030 Biodiversity Strategy" were published on May 20, 2020. The Farm to Fork Strategy sets out the EU's policy priorities for ensuring access to sufficient food at affordable prices in the coming period, based on a green transformation perspective.