Brussels, 23/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - “There is no opposition between growth policy and environmental policy”. Günter Verheugen, Vice-President of the Commission with responsibility for enterprise and industry, made this assertion the key theme of his speech on 22 March before the European Parliament's environment committee, newly led by the Czech MEP Miroslav Ouzky (PPE-DE group). Among the leading themes in the Commissioner's preliminary presentation and subsequent exchange of views with the MEPs were the prospects for the implementation of the REACH regulation on the registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals, combating climate change and reducing emissions from private cars.
Speaking on the day after the Spring Summit which adopted an ambitious “energy and climate” package to step up the fight against global warming beyond 2012, Mr Verheugen underscored the need to transpose the decisions made by the heads of state and government. “If we want to be credible, these objectives must be achieved”, he declared. This is why there is a need, in his view, to support industry so that it takes account of these objectives and call for environmental responsibility from enterprises, to promote innovation for the development of environmentally-friendly technologies and to create an internal market for ecological goods and services. The “internal market” package with its legislation on ecodesign, which has already been presented, will be followed at the beginning of 2008 by a general industrial policy initiative, the Commissioner announced. Speaking of the revised strategy for the reduction of CO2 emissions from cars, Mr Verheugen talked up the integrated approach maintained by the Commission (EUROPE 9361) which, in his view, judiciously involves biofuels (given that progress in engine technology is limited). The legislative proposal being worked on by the Commission should be “neutral from the point of view of competitiveness and take account of both the environmental and social impact”, hence the importance of carrying out an in-depth impact assessment before presenting it. On the subject of REACH, Mr Verheugen announced that an interim Director had been appointed for the Chemicals Agency in Helsinki, with the appointment of an Executive Director by the management board planned for the end of the year. Thirty-nine civil servants provided by the European Commission will help get the Agency up and running, and 160 posts are already open for recruitment. The Commissioner said that he counts on the Parliament to help ensure that the Helsinki Agency receives enough credits to carry out its mission over the years to come when it will not receive much in fees. Much remains to be done to transpose the REACH regulation, which will enter into force on 1 June 2007, but a helpdesk network will be put in place in the Member States, the Commissioner said.
In response to Guido Sacconi (PSE, Italy), who asked him to react to criticisms from automobile manufacturers who deemed legislation to impose an objective of CO2 emissions of 120g/km by 2012 “unrealistic in terms of both costs and timetable”, Mr Verheugen said that he had recently had a different response from the President of ACEA. “He has not said that he is against the objectives, but he thinks a single CO2 emissions limit for all cars is impossible. I agree with him. The objective cannot be the same for a four-door Maserati as for a Fiat Punto! Otherwise, the industry is rather in favour of it, and announced (…) Forum that it will do what we expect of it”. In response to Satu Hassi (Green, Finland), who expressed her satisfaction at hearing the Commissioner talk of climate change (“albeit only recently”) and encouraged him to pursue it in the longer term, the Commissioner claimed paternity of a ten-point action plan which was presented in September last year. “I do not need the Stern report to know that the fight against climate change is a huge chance for the European economy. From the very beginning I have said that the economic and environmental objectives are entirely compatible. At the World Economic Forum in Davos European industry said that it must and wants to go green”, he declared. And although he acknowledges having spoken of “hysteria when talking of German discussions on the subject”, this was, he says, in order to denounce “the escalation of nonsensical proposals which distracted attention from what really needs to be done”, that is “achieving the objectives which we have set and creating the necessary technological and political conditions so that other dynamic regions follow us”. The Commissioner added that “Europe must play a leading role because that will allow us to have a head-start on our competitors with regard to the markets of the future. If Europe does not show that it is possible to reconcile environmental and economic objectives, and if it is not prepared to take on the role of a showcase laboratory, the others will not follow us”. Günter Verheugen stated that he had told a Chinese representative whom he met on 22 March that “when you see that it works, you will do the same thing”, and announced that he will maintain that message during his visit to China next week.
The Commissioner was impressed by the idea suggested by Vittorio Prodi (ALDE, Italy) of creating an alliance between the Parliament and the Commission by setting up a working group on climate change “for a permanent exchange” with the temporary committee on climate change which will be established in the Parliament to “examine all the cross-cutting issues” associated with this phenomenon. (an)