Bayonne, 06/10/2008 (Agence Europe) -The General Meeting of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) provided the opportunity, in Bayonne (France) on Thursday 2 October, to debate the energy-climate package presented by the European Commission in January.
Jean-Didier Hache, the organisation's executive secretary, spoke of the intense lobbying carried out by the CPMR to have the role of the regions acknowledged in the three directives currently going through the European Parliament. He welcomed the Turmes report which, he said, had indeed taken account of the role of the regions in the energy-climate package. “There are at least 14 amendments which seek to include reference to the role of local and regional authorities in the directive. That's quite spectacular,” he told EUROPE. He acknowledged, however, that the lobbying had to continue, especially of the Parliamentary environmental committee (ENVI). “It's obvious that we are just little boys in the university lecture,” he conceded. He nonetheless said he had confidence in the Parliament where “we have friends”. He also highlighted the difficulties that a number of peripheral regions will encounter in trying to implement the package. “Many of our regions find themselves in a situation of conflict between environmental protection, which takes certain areas out of the equation and prevents the development of renewable energy, and the desire of the regions to have a policy on sustainable energy development,” he said. He called for a “balanced, reasonable” vision on these issues in applying environmental policy. He also argued for some of the revenue generated by the auctioning of CO2 allowances to be used for peripheral regions. “These are the regions that are going to have difficulty applying the legislation. Payment of these funds would, therefore, be some kind of compensation” - “intelligent” compensation, he said, that would give the most handicapped areas the means to invest in a sustainable energy policy.
At a workshop, to be held in Aberdeen (United Kingdom) on 13-14 November, the peripheral maritime regions will debate this issue in order to formulate a set of guidelines on climate change. In the meantime, the regions have been invited to complete a questionnaire on energy issues. The CPMR is also holding a World Summit of Regions on Climate Change, in Saint Malo (France) on 29-30 October. (L.B.S./transl.rt)