In order to get out of the epidemic as quickly as possible, the European Union will promote green transformation as one of the core of its economic recovery plan, and continue to launch a number of new policy measures under the framework of the "Green New Deal" to further enhance the resilience and sustainability of economic growth.

  Recently, the European Parliament and EU member states finally reached an agreement on the "Next Generation EU" recovery plan. In this long-term investment plan totaling more than 1.8 trillion euros, 37% of the funds will be invested in areas directly related to the green transformation goal.

  The President of the European Commission von der Lein said that the European Union’s green transformation as a new growth strategy for the European economy will promote its own development in a more equitable, efficient and sustainable direction, which will help the European Union improve its overall competitiveness.

  Green recovery policies continue to be introduced

  The European Parliament recently voted to further increase the climate law emission reduction targets and support the reduction of EU carbon emissions in 2030 by 60% compared to 1990. This is the second time the relevant EU institutions have adjusted their emission reduction targets in the short term. The outside world believes that this move shows the EU's own determination on the issue of green transformation. In the coming year, the EU will continue to accelerate the process of climate and energy legislation, and will promote the reform of the carbon emissions trading mechanism and the adjustment of energy taxes as its priorities.

  Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the European Union has introduced a number of supporting policies to promote a green economic recovery. In March of this year, the European Union announced a new industrial policy, focusing on increasing the modernization and upgrading of energy-intensive industries such as steel and cement. At the same time, through sustainable product policies, the recycling rate and duplication of textiles, plastics, electronic products and other fields will be increased. Usage rate. The EU also announced a building renovation plan aimed at improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings, and plans to carry out energy-saving renovations to 35 million buildings in the next 10 years.

  In response to the increasing pressure on the European financial market under the epidemic, the European Union plans to set up a number of special funds in the next phase to support green technology innovation. European Investment Bank President Hoyle said that the financial sector will play an important and irreplaceable role in the green recovery process. As a public financial institution, the European Investment Bank will contribute to achieving carbon neutrality goals and improving economic resilience and inclusiveness.

  Simone Tagliapetra, an expert at the Bruegel Institute for Economic Research in Belgium, said that the green economic recovery plan launched by the EU covers industry, agriculture, trade, finance and other aspects, and will contribute to the EU’s future economic development model and investment Direction has an important impact.

  Related green industries grow against the trend

  Affected by the epidemic, the overall European economy is weak this year, but related green industries are showing a good momentum of growth against the trend.

  While energy demand is generally declining, the EU's renewable energy share has reached a record high. Among them, the utilization rate of clean energy such as solar energy and wind energy has increased significantly. The EU's energy structure is gradually shifting from a traditional fossil fuel-based structure to a diversified structure.

  According to the recent annual energy report released by the European Commission, by the end of 2020, the proportion of renewable energy in the EU's total energy consumption is expected to reach 22.8%-23.1%, and it is expected to further increase to 32% in 2030. In the next 10 years, the EU will usher in a period of rapid development in related green economic fields such as smart grids, offshore renewable energy, and hydrogen energy.

  In addition, according to the latest report of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, affected by the new emission standards of the European Union and the stimulus policies of various member states, European new energy vehicles will develop rapidly in 2020, and the sales of electric vehicles within the EU will account for the proportion of total new car sales in the third quarter. Reached 9.9%, nearly three times more than the same period last year, reaching 273,000 vehicles. It is expected that the EU's new energy vehicle market share is expected to double in 2020, and the total sales will exceed 1 million vehicles. As of now, there are about 2 million electric vehicles in Europe. It is expected that this number is expected to exceed 40 million by 2030. The European electric vehicle industry has entered the fast lane of development.

  The European Commission predicts that by 2050, the green transition in the energy sector alone will create 3 million more jobs on the basis of 2020. According to OECD data, there are currently 3.5 million jobs related to the circular economy within the EU. If the recycling rate increases from the current 50% to 70% in the future, there will be an increase of 500,000 jobs overall.

  Development of a green economy is of great significance

  Von Delane said that promoting green transformation and promoting economic recovery after the epidemic will reshape the social, economic and ecological structure of Europe in the development of the next few decades, which is of great significance.

  According to the research report of the Green Party Group of the European Parliament, promoting the green transformation of the economy can not only reduce the EU's external dependence, improve economic resilience and supply chain security, but also bring huge development potential and space to the EU. Studies have shown that the development of a green economy will increase EU exports by at least 25 billion euros per year, and save energy costs as much as 350 billion euros per year. The improvement of resource efficiency will greatly reduce the production cost of products and effectively enhance the competitiveness of European companies in the international market. At the same time, the green transformation will also bring about the upgrading and integration of the entire value chain, creating millions of new high-quality jobs.

  Some experts pointed out that the EU will also face constraints such as insufficient funds in the process of pushing for green transformation. According to the assessment of the European Commission, if the 2030 climate target is reached on schedule, the EU will need to add an additional investment of 260 billion euros per year on average, and the EU’s own public financial support is about 100 billion euros per year. It needs to encourage member governments and private enterprises Increase investment to fill the funding gap. In addition, the public's acceptance of relevant EU policies is also critical to the success of the green transformation.

  Ben McWilliams, an expert at the Bruegel Institute for Economic Research in Belgium, believes that the development of relevant standards and market orientation in line with the green transformation is very important for the EU's economic recovery. Policy makers need to send clear signals through stimulus policies to make investors aware of higher income expectations from low-carbon economic investments, thereby effectively attracting private sector investment. For the EU, further reform of the carbon emission trading system, adjustment of carbon emission prices, and formulation of energy tax guidelines will all be the policy fulcrums for effectively stimulating the development of a green economy.

  Gregory Kress, an expert on European green economy issues, said that the EU needs to achieve economic transformation by effectively guiding the economic development model and the direction of industrial modernization, and at the same time seek between short-term economic needs and long-term structural reforms in the process of economic recovery. balance.