Brussels, 17/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - Due to a very full agenda, the Commission that was to give its stance, on Wednesday, on three proposals that are decisive for the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, postponed adoption of these texts until next Tuesday, in Strasbourg. Texts concerned are: 1) a proposal of decision by the Council (to be approved by qualified majority after consultation of the European Parliament) relating to ratification of the Protocol; 2) a proposal of communication concerning the implementation of the first stage of the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP). This text gives a series of additional measures that will appear on the Commission's work programme over the next twenty-four months - horizontal measures and measures in the energy, transport and industry sectors - to allow the Union to respect its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 8% between 2008 and 2012; 3) a draft directive concerning the working rules of an emission trading system between the Union's companies, a system based on the granting of authorised emission quotas, the purchase of polluter permits from companies that have not reached their full quota, and fines in the event of abusive use of this mechanism.
On Wednesday, the Commission had began discussion of this exchange system which was made more flexible under pressure from European industry, which had expressed concern about the loss of competitiveness compared to US companies. The only issue still outstanding, to which the College will return on Tuesday next, concerns the possibility for Member States to temporarily exempt (for the time it takes to enforce the Protocol) certain industrial sectors from the obligation of taking part in this emission trading, as long as other systems for greenhouse gas emissions are already in force.
In order to promote the search for concrete solutions, the Belgian EU Council Presidency organised on Wednesday, in Brussels, a conference entitled "Enterprise and climate change - what are the consequences and strategies for companies confronted by the problem of climate change?"
EUROPE recalls that the next international negotiations on climate will resume at technical level at the end of October in Marrakesh to continue at ministerial level from 7 to 9 November (COP 7).