The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) took another step forward on Tuesday 18 April. MEPs approved the provisional agreement reached by negotiators in December by 487 votes to 81 with 75 abstentions (see EUROPE 13083/23).
All that remains is for the EU Council to give its final approval, which should happen quickly, since the permanent representatives of the Member States are called upon to give their opinion on 18 April, the day after the European Parliament vote. If approved, the CBAM will be put on the agenda of the Agriculture Ministers for their meeting on 25 April for formal adoption. This will pave the way for the entry into force of CBAM, at least in its transitional phase, in October 2023.
The text’s rapporteur, Mohammed Chahim (S&D, Dutch), welcomed his colleagues’ vote. “The European Parliament played a significant role in taking care of all the different issues in the text, or insecurities, etc.”, he said.
The sectors covered by CBAM have indeed been extended to hydrogen and indirect emissions, under certain conditions. In addition, the date for the full phase-out of free quotas for European producers of CBAM goods has been brought forward to 2034, instead of 2036 as desired by the Member States.
After the vote, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson pointed out to MEPs that the changes made to the text during the negotiations mean a significant increase in the Commission’s human resources requirements.
She had proposed that CBAM be implemented by member countries. However, the EU Council and Parliament have opted for centralised management by the Commission. “The additional Commission human resources required by the final agreement endorsed by the co-legislators will not allow the Commission to respect the principle of stable staffing, and will require additional resources, to be authorised by Parliament and the EU Council during the annual budget procedure”, she insisted.
See the agreement: https://aeur.eu/f/6BW (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)