Activities of Markus BUCHHEIT related to 2020/2043(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
A WTO-compatible EU carbon border adjustment mechanism (continuation of debate)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on towards a WTO-compatible EU carbon border adjustment mechanism
Amendments (12)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. whereas, as stated in the TFEU, environmental affairs are a shared competence with Member States;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1a. whereas the European Union in 2017 was the first net importer of CO2 emissions worldwide;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Is convinccerned that a purpose-built trade policy can be an important driver in steering economies towards decarbonbut highly politically motivated trade policy can be driver towards a planned economy in forcing economies towards decarbonisation and resulting deindustrialisation in order to achieve the climate objectives set in the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Highlights that the CBAM should be formulated as a valuable instrument to protect from unfair competition and counterbalance the higher production costs that the EU Green Deal will evoke to EU companies; in this regard, highlights the need to ensure the level playing field for EU companies, as the standards imposed in the EU Green Deal are not equally ambitious in third countries, which has further increased the phenomenon of delocalisation aggravating the problem of ‘‘carbon leakage’’;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Supports, in the absence of a global carbon price and a multilateral soluQuestion,s a market-based EU carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) oneven under the condition that it is compatible with EU free trade agreements (FTAs) and WTO rules (by being non- discriminatory and not constituting a disguised restriction on international trade), and that it is proportionate, based on the polluter pays principle and fit for purpose in delivering the climate objectives; underlines that unilateral action by the EU through the introduction of the CBAM may lead to retaliatory measures such as punitive tariffs on European exports, that might cause economic damages and severely impact European producers and companies;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that the general exception clause of Article XX of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) should be the basis for any CBAM design and its only rationale should be an environmental one – reducing global CO2 emissions and preventing carbon leakage; requests a legal opinion by an independent legal experts on whether Article XX’s “would not constitute a means of arbitrary and unjustifiable discrimination between countries in similar circumstances or a disguised restriction on international trade” would be applicable;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that the general exception clause of Article XX of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) should be the basis for any CBAM design and its only rationale should be an environmental one – reducing global CO2 emissions and preventing carbon leakage; while protecting the competitiveness of the EU industrial sectors in Europe and worldwide;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for thorough impact assessments - especially on direct and indirect carbon leakage - and for the utmost transparency of the process leading to the CBAM, as well as engagement with the EU’s trading partners to build coalitions and avoid any possible retaliations; demands that a full life-cycle GHG emissions analysis will be used as the basis for calculation in order to obtain a neutral and comparable picture of the product’s carbon footprint;
Amendment 75 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission not to allocate CBAM revenues as assigned own resources to Next Generation EU (NGEU) but to the various EU research programmes and use it as a mean to help SMEs and industry coping the burdens of the Green Deal policy;
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Notes that many carbon- and trade- intensive industrial sectors could potentially be impacted by the CBAM, either directly or indirectly, and that it could influence supply chains; stresses that any CBAM should be easy to administer and not place an undue burden on enterprises, especially small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs)., that need a stable and predictable policy and legislative framework in order to make the necessary investments, especially on national custom authorities and the implementation of the Union Customs Code, trying to balance between the complexity and efficiency of the instrument;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. In this regard, recalls that the CBAM should comprise a complex and detailed method to calculate objectively the amount of carbon in the products included in its scope; for this purpose a strong system of the effective rules of origin (RoOs) is needed in order to avoid and reduce additional administrative and bureaucratic obstacles for companies, especially for the SMEs;
Amendment 99 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Highlights that one of the purposes of the CBAM should be to spur the reshoring of EU manufacturing activities, especially in the context of the Covid19 crisis, considering the fact that the pandemic has further shown the risks of depending on third countries’ economies and non-EU sources;