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In the right direction but lacking ambition: The Spanish Climate Change and Energy Transition Bill
(EurActiv, 9 Jun 2020) If the European Green Deal is going to be EU’s recovery strategy from the coronavirus crisis, the Spanish climate and energy bill is not ambitious enough, writes Ana Barreira.
Ana Barreira is the director of the International Institute for Law and the Environment (IIDMA).
The Climate Change and Energy Transition Bill was adopted by the Spanish Government on 19 May and submitted to the Parliament. At the UNFCCC 21 COP held in Paris, the former President of Spain committed to prepare such a bill, but it never happened.
Three bills have been drafted since the Socialist Party took power after a motion of no-confidence in May 2018. On 21 January 2020, the Spanish Government declared the climate emergency. Among the measures to fight the emergency it included the commitment to prepare and submit the Bill to the Parliament within its first 100 days in office but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed it.
Context
The final Bill comes during testing times for Spain, after the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the world. As a response, the European Commission has drafted a Recovery Plan which in words of its Vice-President Frans Timmermans must be aligned with the European Green Deal (EGD). A key element of the EGD is the future “European Climate Law” proposed in the form of a Regulation.
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