Press
release Brussels, 2nd
of July 2001
European NGOs today
welcomed European Union’s new climate change program
action plan (ECCP), at its public presentation in Brussels.
The year-long discussion among stakeholders from
government, academia, NGOs and industry has identified
nearly twice the number of cost-effective measures needed
to meet the EU’s initial Kyoto commitments.
“The ECCP has been
a valuable process, but now the Commission must put
these recommendations into action, by publishing a communication
with concrete legislation as soon as possible,” says.
Karla Schoeters, director of Climate Network Europe
Policies and measures
identified by the ECCP include: an energy services directive
that will allow for support to achieve energy efficiency
improvements in the electricity market of 1% annually.
A new cogeneration directive would achieve CO2
cuts of up to 64 MT/CO2 emissions annually. The draft renewable
energy directive must be passed, with robust targets
leading to a doubling of the proportion of electricity
from renewable energy by 2010.
It should be complemented by a directive on heat
from renewable sources, and both must exclude unsustainable
sources like peat and municipal waste. In addition, the
proposed directive on energy efficiency in buildings
will be crucial to achieving reductions of up to 45
Mt/CO2 per year by 2010.
In some areas the
ECCP falls short and must be strengthened.
Transport emissions are the fastest growing of
all sectors and require enactment of effective strategies.
The EU must achieve decoupling of economic growth and
transport emissions, through internalisation of external
costs. Despite
repeated NGO attempts to address transport seriously,
the working group stuck to less important measures,
representing one of the major deficiencies of the ECCP.
The recommendations for fluorinated gases must
also be strengthened, with concrete measures to phase
them out sector by sector, rather than relying heavily
on containment and ineffectual voluntary agreements.
Unfortunately, important
climate change policies are already under fire.
Just days ago, the Commission halted consideration
of its draft emissions trading directive, under pressure
from certain industries. “This directive is a cornerstone of the
EU’s climate change strategy, and has undergone extensive
consultation,” says Schoeters. “That the Commission
has buckled just prior to both this week’s meetings
and the renewed CoP 6 session in Bonn is a major step
back for the process.
European industry must be prepared to make needed
emissions cuts—the emissions trading directive provided
them with one cost-effective, flexible way of doing
so, and should be restarted immediately.
Without emissions trading, new taxation will
be the likely alternative.”
Contact:
Jason Anderson
Mobile: 0474 83 76 03
E-mail: jason@climnet.org