Estonia's European Union Policy

109.    The EU’s 2040 greenhouse gas reduction targets need to be agreed to ensure that the necessary preconditions are in place to reach the target, in particular, the availability of technologies. To achieve the post-2030s climate and energy policy goals, investment in clean technologies must be encouraged, their development accelerated, administrative burdens reduced, and planning, licensing, and environmental impact assessment procedures simplified.

110.    A just transition should not be considered on a regional basis alone. The target groups affected by the green transition must be included throughout the country.

111.    The EU Emissions Trading System for building and road transport fuels must be cancelled or its implementation postponed in order to minimise the negative impact on the Estonian economy and people’s livelihoods.

112.    To achieve the Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry (LULUCF) objectives, additional relief needs to be agreed with the European Commission proportional to changes in Estonia’s deforestation in recent years due to geopolitical reasons. Estonia must also be able to use the derogation for countries with a high proportion of peat soils to achieve the objectives of the regulation.

113.    Forest management decisions must respect the principle of subsidiarity and remain a national competence.

114.    Traditional conservation and restoration practices need to be complemented by alternative financing mechanisms, including a ‘biodiversity credit system’ that is traceable, measurable, and avoids the risks of greenwashing. A system must be created to demonstrate measurable and evidence-based lasting positive impacts on biodiversity. 

115.    At the EU level, the use of secondary raw materials needs to be stimulated by setting uniform quality standards for secondary raw materials. The standards must include minimum limits for the content of recycled material, including in electronic equipment and textiles, and requirements for using secondary raw materials produced in third countries in the EU.

116.    A more effective extended producer responsibility system needs to be developed in the EU to ensure that producer responsibility requirements are met for products entering the EU market from third countries via selling platforms and that they are also covered in practice by EU waste management rules.