In many EU countries, agriculture will also have to make further efforts to comply with the Climate Agreements, said the Dutch former minister. He took over the climate responsibilities this month from his predecessor and compatriot Frans Timmermans. Hoekstra presented the EU interim report in Brussels, in preparation for the international climate summit COP28.
Although the EU is 'on track' to meet its 2030 climate target, to succeed it must continue to accelerate. Agriculture, heating and insulation of homes and other buildings, and traffic are at the forefront, according to Hoekstra. ‘Even though this is sensitive in many member states.’
The new European Commissioner, who as a Dutch CDA politician previously held back on demanding too much from farmers during the transition to agriculture with lower greenhouse gas and nitrogen emissions, now says the EU must move ‘towards a very different land use and very different agriculture.’
The EU has meanwhile reduced CO2 emissions by about one-third compared to over thirty years ago, states the EU interim report.