The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) and the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) held joint meetings between 29 November and 1 December. The main topics were the regulation on binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions from 2021 to 2030 contributing to climate actions following the Paris Agreement, an exchange of views with the citizens’ spokesperson for environment and climate matters in the Conference on the Future of Europe, the presentation of the Circular Economy Package, and lastly, the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) – which a delegation of ENVI members headed by César Luena will visit between 14-17 December.

The key theme of the  29 November ENVI-ITRE meeting was methane emission reduction. Members of both committees discussed the proposal to reduce methane emissions in the oil, gas and coal sectors.

The co-rapporteurs, Silvia Sardone (ENVI) and Jutta Paulus (ITRE) presented the main elements in their draft report on the legislative proposal that follows the EU Strategy to reduce methane. Their comments included the introduction of high standards of monitoring, reporting and verification of methane emissions, while keeping Europe’s competitiveness in the energy sector in consideration and safeguarding industry interests.

The following meetings on this topic will be held next year, on 1 March 2023 (Brussels).