Brussels, 18/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - The crisis in Ukraine and the next stage in the European Union applying sanctions against Russia will clearly eclipse the first discussion between EU28 heads of state, at the European summit on 20-21 March, on the draft integrated action framework for climate and energy policy from now until 2030 (see EUROPE 11030). The two issues are connected, of course, because one of the aims of the draft framework unveiled by the European Commission on 22 January 2014 is precisely to ensure a secure energy supply for the EU.
The European summit will note the importance of having a coherent policy for climate and energy, in order to ensure affordable energy prices, industrial competitiveness and security of supply, and also to achieve the EU's targets for the climate and the wider environment. The summit is expected to stress the importance of the member states having the flexibility they need to introduce their own future obligations that take account of their situation and the choices they select for their energy supply. However, it has already been agreed that the European summit will set very general targets at this stage, preferring to ask the EU Council of Ministers and the Commission to continue working on the details of the framework, and to meet in June to discuss progress with the aim of reaching a final decision by the end of year.
A deadline, but no figures yet. In order to reconcile conflicting views among the most ambitious countries (Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Slovenia and Estonia) and the Visegrad countries (plus Bulgaria and Romania), the draft conclusions document that will be given to the heads of state does not give any figures. The Commission is proposing at least a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions on 1990 levels and a European target of 27% of total energy consumption coming from renewable energy. For the deadline for the EU's submission of a carbon reduction offer in the global climate change talks in Paris (COP 21), the conclusions document notes, as desired by Poland, that the deadline for drawing up an inclusive global deal should be the end of the first quarter of 2015, as laid down by COP 19 in Warsaw. The conclusions document adds that in the light of the results of the United Nations' climate change summit on 23 September, the EU should set a new target for 2030 that is in line with the target it has already set for 2050 (an 80% to 95% reduction in emissions on the 1990 level).
Further study and burden-sharing. In order to facilitate rapid agreement, the European summit is expected to ask the European Commission and Council of Ministers to make progress in: - the impact assessment for each country for the greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets; - the update of mechanisms for fairly sharing the burden among the member states and encouraging modernisation of the energy sector; - the introduction of measures to avoid carbon leakage (the relocation of high-energy using companies that are exposed to strong global competition); - the encouragement of long-term planning for industrial investment in order to ensure competitiveness in energy-intense European industry; - the re-examination of the EU directive on energy efficiency and the development of a framework for energy efficiency.
Poland opposes the idea of the EU unveiling all its cards ahead of the Paris conference. A number of countries, like China, India and Saudi Arabia, have already announced that they will not be presenting any greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets ahead of the Paris conference. (AN)