Brussels, 08/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - The fight against climate change will occupy a central position in the working programme of the Greek Presidency of the Council. The international implications of this matter will mobilise the Presidency on two fronts: that of the aviation ETS in the context of ICAO, and that of the Climate/Energy 2030 package of the EU, for which the European Commission's proposal is expected on 22 January (see EUROPE 10975). The level of ambition of the objectives the EU will adopt will be decisive for the forthcoming UN conference (COP 20, Peru, late 2014) aiming to lead to the conclusion, in Paris in 2015 (COP 21), of a global climate agreement to enter into force in 2020.
As regards the ETS, the Greek Presidency will seek to finalise an agreement on the Commission's proposal to apply the ETS legislation (Directive 2008/101/EC) to just European regional air space (the 28 member states, Norway and Iceland) from 1 January 2014 until the global market-based mechanism is in place, in other words until 2020, according to the agreement reached at ICAO in October of last year (see EUROPE 10972 and 10944).
For the subjects which will make up the European framework of a future integrated Climate/Energy policy by 2030, the Greek Presidency will be unstinting in its efforts to ensure that the dossier gets the attention it deserves and is dealt with at the highest political level, possibly at the European Council of March. The Presidency also plans to move forward talks on the draft regulation of July 2013 aiming to create a monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system throughout the EU for CO2 emissions from large vessels of more than 5000 tonnes transiting through the EU as a first step in reducing emissions from maritime transport (see EUROPE 10984). (AN/transl.fl)