Brussels, 22/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, Slovenia said it will support the short-term reform of the emissions trading system (ETS) proposed by the European Commission on 25 July last year, in order to temporarily reduce the quantity of quotas on the carbon market during the beginning of the third trading period. It is hoped the price of carbon will thus play a role of encouraging investment in clean technologies.
This about-turn by Slovenia brings down the number of countries opposed to back-loading on 900 million CO2 quotas from 2013-2015. To date, only Greece, Cyprus and Poland still voice opposition to the project.
Hungary could support the proposal. The Czech Republic and Romania could be more flexible. Germany and Spain have not yet expressed their opinion.
Within the Council, there is a movement that is close to qualified majority, senior EU officials said on Thursday on the sidelines of the Environment Council.
At the European Parliament, the plenary session vote in first reading is scheduled for 16 April. The vote will constitute a mandate for negotiation in first reading. (AN/transl.jl)