Brussels, 03/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - Five of the 27 national registers of transactions carried out online on the European carbon market (ETS) could re-open for business at 8.00am this Friday 4 February (EUROPE 10302). The European Commission announced to the press on Thursday 3 February that France, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia and the United Kingdom had “given it reasonable assurances” that the minimum security requirements needed to protect their registers from cyber attacks, which led to the suspension of all national registers on 19 January, were now in place.
The examination of the initial independent reports on the security of the registers submitted by the five countries lay behind the Commission's decision. The institution spoke of “constructive cooperation” with the national authorities, and expects to receive the reports of other member states “in the next few days”.
When called upon to give the exact number of countries which have already put forward their report, Isaac Valero Ladron, the new spokesperson to Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, said that he was bound by the duty of secrecy. “In agreement with the member states, the Commission does not divulge any information until the examination of these reports is concluded”, he replied.
The European Commission states that it will keep the public regularly informed regarding the course of events, 24 hours before other national registers are authorised to resume the normal course of their functioning.
It is worth noting that shortcomings in the security of the national registers allowed cyber criminals to steal emissions quotas and sell them for cash, leading to losses in the region of €30 million. (A.N./trans.fl)