The draft opinion on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) by the European Parliament Committee on International Trade (INTA), led by Karin Karlsbro (Renew Europe, Sweden), was adopted on 10 December. The draft opinion has been strengthened by 11 compromise amendments which, more than anything else, express the INTA Committee’s desire not to make the CBAM a punitive or protectionist measure. INTA believes the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism should be based on the World Trade Organization’s General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
The compromise amendments also call on the European Commission to provide an impact assessment in mid-2021, at the same time as it presents its legislative proposal. In a similar vein, in an amendment introduced by the EPP, the MEPs expressed the need for as many partners as possible to be engaged in discussion on the CBAM, because they are concerned about “the multilateral trading system being undermined”.
The European Parliament Committee on the Environment (ENVI), whose remit covers this area, will vote on the own-initiative report by Yannick Jadot (Greens/EFA, France) on 25 and 26 January 2021. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)