Climate and environment NGOs have urged leaders from central and eastern Europe (CEE) to back the increase of the EU’s 2030 climate target at the upcoming European Council, on 10-11 December.
At a press conference organised by Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe the non-profit released its briefing, An ambitious 2030 Climate Target: Opportunities and benefits for CEE countries.
CAN Europe said more than 80% of respondents to recent national studies and polls in Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic say they are either “incredibly worried about climate change impacts or that they expect their governments to increase their clean energy targets”.
As late adapters, CEE countries have even better opportunities for market expansion using the most recent, innovative, and cost-effective technologies, CAN Europe highlighted.
CEE countries are set to receive “unprecedented financial support” to accelerate the just transition to climate neutrality.
CAN Europe said this contrasts with their governments’ claims that they would lack adequate resources to ramp up the clean energy transition.
The sum of all available EU funds over 2021-2027 makes up between 25% and 42% of the annual GDP for Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
CAN Europe director Wendel Trio said: “The only barrier to higher climate ambition in central and eastern Europe is not the financial support nor the lack of citizens’ interests, but the political will.
“These governments have shown how rapidly they were able to exit from the communist legacy, now it is time to move from polluting fossil fuels to sustainable, climate-proof economies.”