Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The European Commission proposed a plan to monitor progress of Green Deal goals with the aim of improving transparency.
In a press statement on Tuesday, the body pointed out that the new Monitoring Framework will help EU member states to keep an eye on the impact of the bloc’s green push.
It stressed that the move will help the bloc to measure environmental, economic and societal impacts of the push and added that “EU policies have to ensure that the EU gets back on track to living and working within planetary boundaries.”
Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President of the EC for the European Green Deal, reminded that the Commission has “very ambitious” environmental targets.
He expressed belief that EU policies will have effect on global climate and added “what you cannot measure, you cannot manage.”
More transparency and coordination
Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, pointed out “indicators will help us pursue the agreed policies under the European Green Deal, by shedding light on the trends and facilitating an informed discussion between policy-makers on where further efforts are needed.”
He noted that indicators will cover climate adaptation and mitigation, pollution, biodiversity and circular economy.
The EC pointed out that the proposal includes five indicators aimed at measuring progress on transition towards sustainable systems for food, energy, mobility and industry.
Indicators will also help the bloc to keep an eye on EU’s progress on sustainable finance and efforts aimed at phasing out subsidies that have negative effects on the environment.
“The last chapter of the monitoring framework includes systemic indicators that aim to capture progress towards the three dimensions of environmental wellbeing, to cover also economic and social aspects beyond nature protection,” the EC stressed.
According to the proposal, the body is to release annual reports on progress, which will improve coordination between the Commission, the EU Council and EU Parliament.
The proposal also includes “two in-depth assessments during the lifespan of the programme – a mid-term review in 2024 and a final evaluation in 2029.”
The Commission concluded that the proposal is aimed at speeding up the green push “in a just and inclusive way.”
