The agreement reached today at the EU Environment Council in Luxembourg on the Fit for 55 legislative package, in the context of the European Union's efforts to effectively tackle climate change, is a very important step towards the implementation of the European Green Deal, Government Spokesman Marios Pelekanos said in a written statement.
As Mr. Pelecanos notes. Pelecanos, during the intensive negotiations that took place, Cyprus managed to achieve the recognition of its specificities as an island member state and, therefore, the inclusion in the agreement of special provisions concerning, among others, its air and maritime connectivity, its different starting point in the energy sector and its status as a maritime state.
"Remaining ambitious in relation to the 55% net emission reduction targets by 2030, Cyprus has ensured that it has secured relevant facilities in relation to its specificities so that the costs it will bear are not disproportionate," it adds.
The Spokesperson says that special mention should be made, by way of example, to the shipping sector, where Cyprus has managed to secure increased revenues through the auctioning of emission allowances and to the incorporation of its proposal to reward the use of sustainable aviation fuels, which is expected to contribute significantly to the green transition of the aviation sector at pan-European level.
"Cyprus looks forward to finalising the agreement during the negotiations with the European Parliament which are expected to start next autumn," he continues.
Today's positive development for Cyprus, he says, comes as a follow-up to the conclusions adopted by the EU Summit last May.
The European Council, following a decisive intervention by President Anastasiades in coordination with the Prime Minister of Malta, stressed in these Conclusions the need to take full account of the concerns of EU island Member States with regard to the achievement of their energy efficiency and renewable energy targets, while further noting the need to complete and improve the electrical interconnections of Member States, such as Cyprus, which continue to be isolated from the
