Brussels, 26/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - France's National Allocation Plan (NAP) for allocating greenhouse gas emission allowances for the 2008-2012 trading period (first period of Kyoto Protocol commitments) has been approved, conditional on France making one technical change.
The European Commission announced on 26 March that it had given a conditional go-ahead to France's NAP, examined under the terms of directive 2003/97/EC, which set up a Community emissions trading scheme.
The ceiling of 132.8 million tonnes of CO² proposed by France (the total amount of CO² that installations covered by the scheme can emit) was accepted. This decision came as no surprise. Last November, France withdrew its original plan from examination and lowered the ceiling of 155.6 million tonnes of CO² which it had intended to propose, thus avoiding the rejection of its NAP because of a too generous allocation of quotas (see EUROPE 9317). The amended plan was submitted to the Commission at the end of 2006.
To remove the one remaining reservation over its NAP, France was asked to submit fuller information on how it will treat new entrants to the emissions trading scheme. The Commission's approval of the plan will become automatic once France has provided this information.
In a press release, European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said, “I welcome France's sound revision of its national allocation plan. The French government has clearly shown the need to ensure that the Emissions Trading Scheme remains a successful weapon for fighting climate change that other regions and countries can emulate. The Commission will continue to assess all national plans in a consistent way and to create the scarcity in allowances that is essential for the scheme's success and for meeting Europe's Kyoto targets”. (an)