Legal mechanisms for the implementation on the “Fit for 55” package: between ambition and effectiveness

The article examines the introduction of legal instruments aimed at achieving the European Union’s climate objectives in accordance with its international obligations under the Paris Agreement. Within the framework of the European Green Deal, the author analyzes EU climate policies designed to reach climate neutrality by 2050 and the intermediate goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, with particular attention to the effectiveness of implementing the “Fit for 55” legislative package adopted to ensure cross-sectoral interaction within the Union, as well as the consistency between declared climate ambitions and actual law-enforcement outcomes. The EU not only maintains the 55% reduction target for 2030 but has also established a separate intermediate objective for 2040, indicating how much additional mitigation is required after 2030 to realistically attain climate neutrality by mid- century. The article further assesses the key EU mechanisms for achieving climate neutrality pursuant to Regulations 2018/2001 and (EU) 2021/1119, which are essential for shaping national decarbonization plans. The scientific discourse on the effectiveness of EU climate policy is analyzed, emphasizing that progress largely depends on how successfully Member States implement, at the national level, the instruments contained in the “Fit for 55” package–namely industrial and transport decarbonization, the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the expansion of renewable energy, energy taxation reform, enhanced building energy efficiency, and the Methane Regulation aimed at monitoring, reporting and eliminating leaks. Special attention is given to practical implementation challenges, including social consequences, regional disparities, political sensitivity and the effects of global crises, such as the war in Ukraine and growing energy instability in the EU market. The literature also highlights differentiated effects on aviation pricing and decarbonization rates, because EU ETS, SAF quotas, energy taxation and the CORSIA mechanism influence ticket costs depending on route geography and regulatory regimes.