Briefings

Capturing the climate change mitigation benefits of circular economy and waste sector policies and measures

While total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the EU have fallen by a third since 1990, reducing emissions in the agriculture sector has been a slower process and has stagnated since 2005. Based on EU countries’ current policies and measures, this trend is projected to continue, with only a 1.5% decrease expected between 2020 and 2040. This briefing explores two recent studies from the European Environment Agency (EEA) looking at current efforts to reduce emissions in the agriculture sector — and prospects for further reductions during the agri-food life cycle.

Progress and prospects for decarbonisation in the agriculture sector and beyond

While total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the EU have fallen by a third since 1990, reducing emissions in the agriculture sector has been a slower process and has stagnated since 2005. Based on EU countries’ current policies and measures, this trend is projected to continue, with only a 1.5% decrease expected between 2020 and 2040. This briefing explores two recent studies from the European Environment Agency (EEA) looking at current efforts to reduce emissions in the agriculture sector — and prospects for further reductions during the agri-food life cycle.

National action across all sectors needed to reach greenhouse gas Effort Sharing targets

EU legislation on Effort Sharing covers emissions from a wide range of sectors, such as road transport, heating and cooling in residential and commercial buildings, agriculture and small industries. These sectors have significantly different emission drivers and reduction potentials. Reducing these emissions to meet national Effort Sharing targets requires a diversified and well-adapted policy mix at the national level. Having reported a large number of planned policies and measures under the Monitoring Mechanism Regulation in March 2019, EU Member States and the United Kingdom must now fully implement them to allow the EU to deliver on its decarbonisation objectives. This briefing provides an updated overview of sectoral trends, projections of greenhouse gas emissions, and planned policies and measures in the EU Effort Sharing sectors.

More national climate policies expected, but how effective are the existing ones?

In 2019, EU Member States reported that they had already adopted or were planning to adopt 1925 national policies and corresponding measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve climate targets. Many of these measures also help achieve energy efficiency and renewable energy targets. While climate action is clearly taking place across Europe, EU Member States still provide insufficient evidence of the effectiveness and costs of their policies. This briefing presents an overview of the information on national policies and measures for climate change mitigation, reported in 2019 by Member States to the European Environment Agency (EEA) under the EU Monitoring Mechanism Regulation.

Tracking climate policies in European Union countries

Information reported to the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that more than 1 500 national policies and measures have either been adopted, implemented or are being planned in the European Union (EU) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and achieve climate change and energy targets. However, quantitative evidence on the effectiveness and costs of these measures remains insufficiently reported. This briefing presents an overview of the main characteristics of these policies and measures, such as their status, main objectives, type and estimated effects. This information is also made available online by the EEA.

Using Member States' information on policies and measures to support policymaking: energy efficiency in buildings

In line with EU legislation, Member States report information on their policies and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This information is used to monitor climate action at a national level. It is also important for supporting policy evaluation and informing policy decisions. This briefing presents the results of two case studies analysing policies and measures targeting energy efficiency in buildings.