EU – An ambitious climate and energy package to create jobs and support businesses is needed says unions and corporate leaders

Leader of European Trade Union Confederation joins major brands, including Philips and Shell, calling for ambitious climate and energy package to create jobs and support businesses.

Nearly a million potential jobs will be lost if EU leaders fail to agree strong climate and energy targets at a summit starting on Thursday, according to the head of Europe’s trade union movement.

Europe’s heads of state are set to sign a deal which, the Guardian understands, proposes a binding 40% greenhouse gas cut by 2030 and two goals which will not be binding on member states, one for a share of 27% of electricity coming from renewable sources and another for improving energy efficiency.

Disagreements with eastern European states on ‘burden sharing’ to meet the targets and energy security issues in the final package are said to be narrowing.

But Bernadette Ségol, the leader of the European Trade Union Confederation which represents around 60 million workers, warned that the proposed targets were too low to reap the benefits of a new clean energy economy.

“Energy efficiency and renewable energy targets create jobs,” she told the Guardian. “The lower the target, the fewer the jobs that are created. Governments opposing ambitious and binding targets are wasting an opportunity to reduce Europe’s shameful levels of unemployment. Politicians risk throwing away up to 823,000 new jobs that could be created by more ambitious targets.”

The 823,000 jobs number is the result of ETUC analysis, which confirms an EU study into the employment effect of a 40% greenhouse gas cut, coupled with a 30% renewable energy target and strong energy efficiency goal.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Weak EU 2030 climate deal risks nearly a million jobs, warn unions | Environment | theguardian.com.