On Monday 4 December, the European Transport Ministers adopted their negotiating position (‘general approach’) on the draft ‘EU count emission’ regulation, which includes a common methodological approach for companies to calculate their greenhouse gas emissions (see EUROPE 13305/6).
This text is part of the package aimed at ‘greening’ freight transport, presented in July by the Commission (see EUROPE 13220/21).
“The new common standards for counting greenhouse gas emissions will facilitate the transport sector’s shift to greener solutions and empower our citizens to make informed choices towards more sustainable means of transport”, said Óscar Puente, Spain’s Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, in a press release.
In its common position, the Council retains the approach of the initial proposal, while taking account of national contexts. In particular, several delegations highlighted the administrative burden resulting from the duplication of rules on calculating, verifying and reporting greenhouse gas emissions under several pieces of EU legislation.
The Spanish Presidency has therefore introduced the possibility of using data verified by an accredited body, if this data is available at the same level of aggregation as that required by the regulation.
To make it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to implement the regulation, the Council is asking the Commission for a calculation tool for so-called “output” data.
The Council would like the Commission and the European Environment Agency (EEA) to establish complete and accurate databases containing default values for emission intensity and emission factors.
Finally, the Council has also amended certain powers of the Commission to ensure that the Member States are closely involved in implementing the regulation.
To read the general approach of the Council of the EU, go to https://aeur.eu/f/9z3 (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)