[PIO] Address by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Ms Anita Demetriou at the conference on the package of EU legislation on the "Proposals"

Distinguished Guests Dear Colleagues, Members of Parliament, Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends,

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to today's conference organised by the House of Representatives on the European legislative package on "Adapting to the 55% Target", more commonly known as the "Fit for 55" package.

Although I am sure that for most of you the concept of "Fit for 55" no longer sounds foreign to your ears, with today's workshop we hope and aim to provide the legislature with an in-depth and holistic information on the relevant legislative reforms that are pending at European level, but also on the national measures and actions that we will collectively be called upon to take in the near future for the successful implementation of the "Fit for 55" objectives in our country.

On this occasion, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate first and foremost my dear friend and colleague Mr. Charalambos Theopeptou, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment, on whose initiative today's conference is organized, as well as to express my sincere thanks to all the speakers who accepted our invitation to attend today and make their contributions.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

"We are at a critical moment in the global response to climate and biodiversity emergencies and we are the last generation that can still act in time. This decade is the most critical time to implement our commitments under the Paris Agreement in the interest of the health and well-being of all."

It is with this conviction that the European Commission has set the tone for its vision and commitment to the green transition across the European continent.

Cyprus, as a full and equal member of the European Union, has not only the legal obligation to adopt and implement this vision, but as an integral part of the European family it must embrace it, become a participant and an active co-shaper.

The concept of a green transition is not just about legislation, timetables, targets and numbers, but about cultivating a new culture and perception, with which we as a society will collectively move forward and engage in politics.

In this context, the "Fit for 55" legislative package is a review and update of EU legislation in the areas of climate, energy, transport, transport, building infrastructure, fuels and land use and forestry, which, together with other measures and legislation, aims to implement the European Union's broader development strategy, also known as the European Green Deal, which has the ultimate goal of making the Union climate neutral by 2050.

In other words, the 'Fit for 55' is nothing more than the legislative rails on which Member States will move to achieve the extremely ambitious target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 % compared to 1990 levels in the - not so distant - 2030 timeframe.

The legislative proposals that make up Fit for 55 concern in particular:

1. The revision of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, including aviation and maritime transport
2. The creation of the Social Climate Action Fund
3. The revision of the Effort Sharing Regulation and the Regulations on performance standards for carbon emissions from vehicles and the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions from land use and forestry activities.

This package also includes:

1. The establishment of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM),
2. The adoption of the Regulation on the development of alternative fuel infrastructure
3. The Revision of the Energy Taxation Directive, as well as
4. The amendments to the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Directives
5. The initiatives for the Regulation on sustainable fuels in aviation and maritime transport respectively.

Friends,

From the above, it is clear that "Fit for 55" is one of the largest legislative reforms promoted at the European level with multifaceted and complex pieces of legislation, with a strong technical and scientific background, as well as various economic and social implications and implications.

In this light, in order to successfully meet these legislative challenges and to achieve our national objectives, the responsible and substantial contribution of the Parliament is indispensable. As legislators we have a crucial role to play in the establishment of this necessary and demanding legal and regulatory framework and in the overall successful implementation of the Fit for 55 measures in Cyprus.

Thus, feeling the burden and responsibility that falls on us as a legislative body, we must be properly prepared and informed about the nature and content of these legislative reforms and make every effort to fulfil our institutional duty in a process in which, notwithstanding the fact that we have to be prepared and informed about the nature and content of these legislative reforms, we must do our utmost to do our best to fulfil our institutional duty in a process in which, in the same way, we have to do our utmost.

At the same time, as representatives of the people, we do not forget our duty to properly and honestly inform the citizens of Cyprus about the drastic changes that are coming with the assurance that we will work hard to ensure social cohesion, protect vulnerable groups and protect the competitiveness of the market.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As the die has been cast at the European level, the success of our country in implementing the green transition policies is now the only choice based solely on the well-intentioned environmental, economic and social interests of our country and our people in the context of our European consciousness.

Thank you for your presence here today and I am confident that today's debate will be useful and productive.

(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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