EUKI Networking Conference in Prague

We organized the Czech EUKI Community Conference in cooperation with the European Climate Initiative (EUKI). The event brought together implementers of Czech EUKI projects in the exciting times of the Czech presidency of the Council of the European Union.  Current challenges related to the energy crisis, decarbonization pathways, and more were discussed.

The panel discussion shed light on the progress that has been achieved under the Czech Presidency and pressing issues the Czech Republic is dealing with about the ‘Fit for 55’ package. The discussion was facilitated by Réka Sulyok from EUROPEUM:

• Lukáš Rečka, Researcher at Charles University Environment Centre
• Martin Šauer, Policy Officer at the Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic
• Audrey Mathieu, Policy Officer at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of the Federal Republic of Germany (BMWK)
• Tomáš Petříček, Director of Progressive Analytical Centre, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic

As the Czech Presidency draws near to its end, it is time to take stock of the important accomplishments, such as:

• Revision of the effort-sharing regulation (ESR): The effort-sharing regulation (ESR) addresses the national emissions reduction targets for 2030 in the agriculture, transport, buildings, waste, and small industries sectors, which were not covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS). Together these sectors account for about 60% of greenhouse gas emissions. Once the new regulation is formally adopted, a 40% emission reduction compared to 2005 is viable. The draft ESR sent an important signal just in time for the COP27 to underline the commitment of the EU to ambitious climate action.
• Stricter targets for car emissions: The EU plans to impose stricter targets for CO2 emissions for new cars and vans which can enable zero-emission mobility. Pending formal adoption, the Council and the European Parliament agreed to a 55% CO2 emission reduction target for new cars and 50% for new vans by 2030 compared to 2021 levels as well as to a 100% CO2 emission reduction target for both new cars and vans by 2035. The achievements underline the overall willingness and ambition to finalize the ‘Fit for 55’ package by the end of 2022.

“What we can do, and what we’re trying to do is to use the money that we have efficiently and fast.” – Martin Šauer, Policy Officer at the Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic

“EUKI can contribute to joint climate protection and help us think outside the box and learn from our neighbors and other countries.” – Anne Glumm, Head of the Economic Department at the German Embassy in Prague

“It’s also about providing expertise from institutions, we have a lot of NGOs that are sometimes far ahead of public administrations in modeling, and looking at projections can pave the ways for countries to endorse faster certain technologies and to look for cooperation.” – Tomáš Petříček, Director of Progressive Analytical Centre, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic

Following the panel discussion, EUKI project implementers discussed common challenges and lessons learned during their projects.