ECCP II | Background information on ECCP I | Documents ECCP I | NGO Statements ECCP I | Links

Introduction

The Council of Environment Ministers requested the Commission in October 1999 to put forward a list of priority actions and policy measures to achieve the Kyoto Target. The Commission responded by launching, in May 2000, the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP), whose goal was to identify and develop all the necessary elements of an EU strategy to implement the Kyoto Protocol. The ECCP has since produced a wide range of emission reduction measures, and has developed into the main framework in which EU climate policy is being formulated, for the Kyoto Protocol targets and beyond.

The Second ECCP (2005- )

The start of the first Kyoto Commitment Period (2008-12) - for which most ECCP policies had been developed - is getting closer, therefore the European Commission rightly identified the need to review progress on the one hand and start looking beyond the year 2012 on the other hand.

In its February 2005 communication on post-2012 climate policy the European Commission stated that it would launch a new phase of the ECCP in 2005. The starting pistol for this was a conference on the 24 October 2005 in Brussels, with subsequent stakeholder working groups (see below) set up for specific issues. Most working group meetings took place during the first half of 2006. All meeting documents and working group reports are available online.

WG 1: ECCP I Review with 5 topical groups (energy supply and demand, transport, Non-CO 2 gases, agriculture and forestry) - completed. Follow-up: Plans for a communication on the review of the ECCP have been abandoned. Progress on specific policies discussed is being made. The reports of the groups will provide input to the Post-2012 Green Paper planned for October 2006.

WG 2: Impacts and Adaptation with 10 sectoral groups - completed. Follow-up: The reports from the topical groups under this WG are meant to provide input to a Green Paper on Adaptation to be launched at a Brussels conference in late November 2006.

WG 3: Carbon Capture and Geological Storage - completed. Follow-up: This working group looked specifically into the necessary regulatory framework for CCS technology. Concrete next steps are under discussion.

WG 4: Aviation - completed. Follow-up: This working group discussed design options for integrating aviation in the EU Emissions Trading System. A legislative proposal is expected for early 2007.

WG 5: Integrated approach to reduce CO 2 emissions from light-duty vehicles - completed. Follow-up: no direct information available

WG 6: Review of the EU Emissions Trading System - to start in September/October 2006.

NGO action
CAN-E and other NGOs sent a letter to Commissioner Dimas and other Commissioners to voice our priorities and concerns for the next phase of the program. At the conference, we submitted a position paper outlining the details of some of the shortcomings that need to be addressed .

CAN-E Position Paper: Input from Environmental NGOs at the start of the next round of the European Climate Change Program (ECCP)

CAN-E Letter to Commissioners: Setting out NGO views on the new phase of the ECCP

Press Release: European Commission Official Press Release at the launch of ECCP II

Speech: Commissioner Dimas' speech at the Conference to launch ECCP II

Press Release: EU has power to freeze climate change - WWF EPO

Report: Freezing Climate Change - WWF EPO