Brussels, 16/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 16 January, the European Commission decided, in Strasbourg, to validate the Belgian and Dutch national plans for allocation of greenhouse gas emissions for the period 2008-2012 under certain conditions. This decision comes after its verdict, reached on 29 November 2006, in the assessment of ten other national plans (Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovakia, Sweden and United Kingdom - see EUROPE 9317). These national programmes are intended to ensure that Member States achieve their greenhouse gas emission targets under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
The Commission has accepted both national plans on condition that certain changes are made, including a reduction in the total number of CO2 emission allowances proposed. The cleared annual allocation for Belgium is 58.5 million tones of CO2 allowances and for the Netherlands 85.8 million tonnes. The twelve plans approved by the Commission account for 50% of the quotas allocated in the first trading period from 2005 to 2007.
As it had done during November last, the Commission informs Member States that changes must be made to national plans where: 1) the proposed total of allowances for the 2008-2012 trading period is not consistent with meeting the Member States' Kyoto target; 2) the proposed total of allowances is not consistent with expected emissions and the technological potential to reduce emissions, taking into account independently verified emissions in 2005, and anticipated changes in both economic growth and carbon intensity; and 3) the proposed limit on the use by companies of credits from emission-reduction projects in third countries carried out under the Kyoto Protocol's flexible mechanisms is not consistent with the rule that the use of these mechanisms should be supplementary to domestic action to address emissions.
National Allocation Plans (NAPs) determine for each Member State the “cap” or limit on the total amount of CO2 that installations covered by the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) are authorised to emit, and set out how many CO2 emission allowances each plant will receive.
The Commission assesses these plans in the light of the twelve allocation criteria set out in the 2003 directive, having put in place the Community emissions trading scheme and the decision to reduce by 7% total emissions quotas allocated in relation to the real emissions level in 2005. The Commission pointed out that approval of plans would be automatic as soon as the Member States concerned had made the necessary corrections.
Infringement procedure against Hungary and Denmark
At the end of November 2006, the Commission announced the launch of infringement procedures against six Member States (Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy and Spain). These countries had failed to submit their national greenhouse gas emissions allocation plans before the 30 June 2006 deadline. Between the end of November 2006 and mid-January 2007, the Commission received the Austrian, Czech, Italian and Spanish programmes. The infringement procedure now only involves Denmark and Hungary. The Commission could decide next month to send these two countries a formal notice, the second stage of the procedure (after the reasoned opinion and before referral to the European Court of Justice). This is, of course, unless the countries submit the information required.
The Commission still has to approve the national greenhouse gas emissions allocation plans of the thirteen other EU Member States. It hopes to overtake this task before June 2007. It plans to give its opinion on a third series of national plans in the course of the month of February. Finally, the Commission said it had received the corrected version of the French plan in December. At this point, however, it could not say if this plan would be among the package of decisions expected in February. (lc)