Brussels, 12/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 12 October, the European Commission carried out the threat of beginning infringement proceedings against eight Member States that have still not submitted national allocation plans (NAPs) for the second trading period of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, for the period 2008-2012. At the same time, the decision was taken to open infringement proceedings or to pursue those already begun against Member States that have failed to forward technical data on greenhouse gas emissions to the Commission, which is crucial in the battle against climate change.
Commenting on these decisions, Stavros Dimas, Environment Commissioner, said: “Reliable reporting by Member States is a crucial part of our efforts to win the battle against climate change. I expect the Member States concerned will submit their second phase national allocation plans and the other missing information as soon as possible. To give certainty to the emissions trading market it is important that the national allocation processes are finalised well before the start of the next trading period beginning in January 2008”.
Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain will receive a formal letter of warning (first stage in infringement proceedings under Article 226 of the Treaty) for not having forwarded their second NAP to the Commission for the period 2008-2013, when the deadline for doing so was 30 June this year. These plans are, of course, being developed but this does not mean that Member States do not have to notify the Commission of content.
Luxembourg will be taken before the Court of Justice (third stage in the proceedings) for failing to remedy two of its failings. It allowed the deadline of 15 March 2005 to go by, although it was bound by that date like all other Member States, and did not communicate the policies and measures it is implementing to address climate change or its projections of future greenhouse gas emissions. This delay in communication prevents the Commission from assessing current and projected progress towards meeting the Kyoto Protocol emission targets (Decision 280/2004/EC).
Seven Member States have not yet provided a complete set of important technical information that is needed for establishing their permitted emission level (calculated in tonnes of CO2) to allow the EU to collectively reach its greenhouse gas emissions reduction target under the Kyoto Protocol.
Among these seven countries, Germany and Luxembourg, who had already been called to order in April 2006, will receive final warning letters (second stage in infringement proceedings before referral to the Court of Justice). The others, France, Estonia, Greece, Lithuania and Poland, will receive a first warning letter. (an)