The European Commission unveiled a bumper package of proposals on Wednesday relating to building renovation, greener gas supply and the reduction of methane emissions - all designed to push member states on their way to net emissions neutrality by 2050.
Under the first initiative, new buildings constructed from 2030 onwards must have net zero emissions, and one-sixth of existing buildings - those with the worst energy efficiency - must be renovated by then.
Renovations are crucial to drive down buildings' 40-per-cent EU energy use share, European Commission Vice President in charge of environment Frans Timmermans said in Brussels, presenting the package.
The second proposal encourages the transition away from natural gas, which is derived from fossil fuels, currently the dominant choice in the European Union's energy mix.
Cleaner gases like bio-methane and renewable hydrogen should be used more in the coming years. Long-term natural gas contracts would have to expire in 2049. EU countries would be allowed to build up strategic reserves and purchase gas together to avoid bottlenecks, however.
The package also addresses the release of earth-warming methane gas by the energy sector. Oil, gas and coal companies would be made responsible for detecting and immediately repairing leaks, and there would be a ban on venting and routine flaring.
The proposals will now go to the European Parliament and member states for scrutiny.
To tackle climate change, the EU has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions 55 per cent by the end of the decade. By 2050, the bloc is supposed to reach "net zero" emissions through a combination of reduction and offsetting.
The European Environment Bureau (EEB) said Wednesday the plans had significant merits but were "once again marred by compromising trade-offs with the fossil industry." The federation of climate organizations noted that the scope of the new methane regulation only covers about 19 per cent of emissions in the EU, for example.
"The major methane-emitting sectors, livestock and waste management, remain unaddressed," EEB said in a press release.
On the greener gas plan, the Environmental Coalition on Standards said the unambitious classification system "will result in some unsustainable gas production routes being considered as 'low carbon'."
The initiative therefore opens the "backdoor for large-scale fossil gas greenwashing," the group said in a written statement.
