Brussels, 05/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - The Slovenian plan to allocate greenhouse gas emissions quotas for the period 2008-2002 has passed its interim examination with flying colours, subject to minor changes. The European Commission announced on 5 February that it had given its conditional green light to Slovenia's NAP, which has been duly examined under directive 2003/87/EC, which brought in the Community system of trading in emissions quotas in the EU.
Stavros Dimas, Commissioner for the Environment, welcomes this. In a press release, he declares: “Slovenia has proposed a sound national allocation plan, which we have accepted with few changes.
The Slovenian government has clearly understood the need to ensure that the Emissions Trading Scheme remains a successful weapon for fighting climate change which others can emulate. The Commission will continue to assess all national plans in a consistent way, and to maintain the scarcity in quotas that is essential for the scheme's success and for meeting Europe's Kyoto targets”.
The total of emissions quotas proposed by Slovenia, 8.3 million tonnes of CO2, was accepted as this figure is compatible with the country's commitment under the Kyoto Protocol, with its forecasts for emissions and with its potential to reduce its emissions. Furthermore, this figure is below Slovenia's verified emissions by 2005, the European Commission stresses.
However, in order to lift the two minor reservations to the final approval of its NAP, Slovenia must provide more information on how newcomers to the emissions quota trading system will be treated, and limit the recourse of its companies to the flexible mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol. As it happens, the percentage which it is proposing for recourse to emissions credits to which it may be entitled by the implementation of projects in third countries (the so-called “joint implementation” mechanism) must be reduced from 17.8% to 15.7% of its overall quota allocation. The definitive adoption of the Slovenian plan will occur automatically, as soon as these changes have been made.
So far, 23 member states have sent their second NAP to the Commission, as per their obligation. The plans of Denmark and Cyprus have still not been sent. Romania and Bulgaria notified their NAP for 2005-2007, but have still to notify their plan for the period 2008-2012.
Of the plans which have been notified, 13 have been assessed (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom).
Poland's NAP is “being assessed for a timely decision”. The assessment is also under way for the French plan. “We are hoping for a decision in the very near future”, Barbara Helfferich, spokesperson to Commissioner Dimas, told the press. (an)