Brussels, 23/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - The qualitative surveillance of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU has been tightened up. Post-2012, when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires, the Commission is proposing to revise the monitoring mechanism currently in force (under Decision 280/2004/EC to monitor emissions and implement the Kyoto Protocol) to bring it into line with the requirements of the Energy/Climate legislative package adopted in 2009 for the period 2013-2020. The regulation it has proposed for this purpose and which it presented on Wednesday 23 November aims to tighten up the monitoring and reporting of emissions by the national authorities, improving transparency, coordination and the quality of data communicated by the member states of the EU and guarantee that the commitments taken by the EU in the fight against climate change are respected.
If it is approved by the Council and the Parliament, this future legislation will “contribute to keep better track of our progress towards meeting our emissions targets. This proposal will also help monitor and report emissions from land-use, land-use change and forestry (Lulucf), aviation and maritime transport amongst other sectors”, commented European Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard. She hopes that “these new rules will also set an example in the context of the international climate negotiations and serve as a benchmark for transparency of climate action by developed countries”.
Currently, the EU and its member states are establishing annual inventories of greenhouse gas emissions. They are gathering and publishing information both on projected emissions and policies and measures to reduce them.
The forthcoming regulation will seek to ensure that the EU and its member states fully comply with their current and future international obligations and commitments on monitoring and reporting, including creating reports on financial and technical assistance for the developing countries, and their commitments under the Copenhagen (COP 16, 2009) and Cancun (COP 16, 2010) agreements. It will also make it possible for operational rules to be set in place to allow the member states to report on their use of the revenue from auctioning emissions quotas under the ETS. (AN/transl.fl)