The proposal has been prepared on the basis of an assessment that the current political framework and legislation cannot ensure the goal of a climate-neutral EU in 2050, which became legally binding through the adoption of the Climate Act. Through 'Fit For 55', a number of revisions and initiatives are presented, which aim to ensure a fair, competitive and green transformation of the EU, through more ambitious legislation and the preparation of new proposals.

Overall, 'Fit For 55' consists of 13 proposals for new legislation or new initiatives. In 'Fit For 55', 8 existing legislations are strengthened, while 5 new initiatives are presented through a combination of revisions of regulations and financial instruments. 'Fit For 55' works across areas including climate, energy and fuels, transport, buildings, land use and forestry. The legislative proposals and initiatives included in 'Fit For 55' deal with, among other things:  

• A revision of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) with a view to strengthening and expanding the system through the inclusion of shipping and the creation of a new emissions trading system for road transport and buildings 
• A revision of the directive on infrastructure for CO2-reducing vehicles with a view to establishing new infrastructure 
• A revision of the directive on renewable energy, including requirements for the share of renewable energy to increase from 32% to 40% in 2030 
• A revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive with a view to CO2 reductions 
• A revision of the energy taxation directive, which i.a. must ensure that the right incentives are created by adapting the minimum tax rates for heat and fuels to the EU's climate and environmental goals 
• Initiatives aimed at increasing the use of sustainable fuels in aviation and shipping, and introducing CO2 reduction requirements in road transport  
• A review of the setting of CO2 emission standards for passenger cars and vans with a view to reducing CO2 emissions and setting the framework for a path towards zero-emission mobility 
• A revision of the regulation on the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions and uptake in connection with land use, changed land use and forestry, i.a. through higher targets for storing CO2 equivalents in 2030 
• Creation of a social climate fund 
• Introduction of a CO2 cap adjustment mechanism aimed at pricing certain polluting imported goods to ensure that CO2 emissions from production are not shifted from the EU to other countries with lower ambitions 

The process for adopting the 'Fit For 55' proposal  

When a proposal is presented by the Commission, it must go through a specific procedure in order to be adopted. The adoption of legislative proposals takes place in the vast majority of cases through the ordinary legislative procedure, where the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers must approve the proposal in order for it to be adopted. Through the ordinary legislative procedure, the proposal must always go through a first reading in both the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers.  

During the first reading, the European Parliament has the option of approving the proposal without changes or making changes to the proposal, after which it is sent to the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers then decides whether the proposal must be approved or sent back for second reading in Parliament. The majority of the proposals are adopted in the first reading. In cases where the proposal is not approved and adopted in the first reading, the proposal is forwarded to the second reading, where the Parliament can approve the positions of the Council of Ministers and the proposal is adopted. Parliament can also reject the positions of the Council of Ministers and the procedure stops. In addition, the Parliament can also choose to propose changes to the proposal, after which the proposal must go through a second reading in the Council of Ministers. If the Council of Ministers does not approve Parliament's amendment proposal in the second reading, the proposal must go through a conciliation procedure. In the conciliation procedure, an equal number of members of parliament and representatives of the Council of Ministers must try to agree on a joint draft. If this is successful, the proposal must go through a third reading in Parliament and in the Council of Ministers. If the draft is approved by both Parliament and the Council of Ministers, the proposal is adopted. If the draft is rejected by either Parliament or the Council of Ministers, the procedure ends and the proposal is not adopted.  

Since the presentation of the 'Fit For 55' proposal on 14 July 2021, a number of informal meetings have been held with the aim of exchanging views on the package. On 6 October, EU environment ministers had the first formal debate on the 'Fit For 55' proposal, and on 12 October, the Council of Ministers and EU agriculture and fisheries ministers discussed views on potential contributions to the 'Fit For 55' proposal.  

RGO's views on the 'Fit For 55' proposal 

The 'Fit For 55' proposal contains many good elements for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but in order to comply with the Paris Agreement and ensure climate neutrality in 2050, improvements are needed.