The Fit for 55 package is a set of proposals to revise and update EU legislation and to put in place new initiatives with the aim of ensuring that EU policies are in line with the climate goals agreed by the Council and the European Parliament.
The package of proposals aims at providing a coherent and balanced framework for reaching the EU’s climate objectives, which:
- ensures a just and socially fair transition,
- maintains and strengthens innovation and competitiveness of EU industry while ensuring a level playing field vis-à-vis third country economic operators,
- underpins the EU’s position as leading the way in the global fight against climate change.
It includes proposed legislation on:
- EU emissions trading system,
- efforts sharing regulation,
- land use and forestry (LULUCF),
- alternative fuels infrastructure,
- carbon border adjustment mechanism,
- social climate fund,
- RefuelEU aviation and FuelEU maritime,
- CO2 emission standards for cars and vans,
- energy taxation,
- renewable energy,
- energy efficiency,
- energy performance of buildings.
The proposals of the Fit for 55 package are first presented and discussed at technical level within the Council’s working parties responsible for the policy area concerned, before they land on the table of EU member states’ ambassadors in Coreper. Discussions are held to prepare the ground for an agreement on the proposals among the 27 member states.
EU ministers, in various Council configurations, then exchange views and seek to reach agreement on a common position on the proposals. This forms the basis on which the presidency of the Council then engages with the European Parliament in negotiations to find common agreement in view of the final adoption of the legislative acts.
The Fit for 55 package was submitted to the Council in July 2021 and it is being discussed across several policy areas, such as environment, energy, transport and economic and financial affairs.
