17 Amendments of Vera TAX related to 2023/0081(COD)
Amendment 16 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) To fulfil those commitments, the Union must accelerate its pace of transition to clean energy, notably by increasing energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy sources. This will contribute to achieving the EU targets of the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan for 2030 of an employment rate of at least 78% and participation in training of at least 60% of adults. It will also contribute to ensuring that the green transition is fair and equitable, leaving no person and no place behind 34 . _________________ 34 Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality, adopted on 16 June 2022 as part of the Fit for 55 package.
Amendment 22 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) The net-zero transformation is already causing huge industrial, economic, and geopolitical shifts across the globe, which will become ever more pronounced as the world advances in its decarbonisation efforts. The road to net zero translates into strong opportunities for the expansion of Union’s net-zero industry, making use of the strength of the Single Market, by promoting rapid and sufficient investment in technologies in the field of renewable energy technologies , electricity and heat storage technologies, heat pumps, grid technologies, including technologies enabling fast and bi-directional charging of electric vehicles, renewable fuels of non- biological origin technologies, electrolysers and fuel cells, fusion, small modular reactors and related best-in-class fuels, carbon capture, utilisation, and storage technologies, and energy-system related energy efficiency technologies and their supply chains, allowing for the decarbonisation of our economic sectors, from energy supply to transport, buildings, and industry. A strong net zero industry within the European Union can help significantly in reaching the Union’s climate and energy targets effectively, as well as in supporting other Green Deal objectives, while creating jobs and growth.
Amendment 28 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) The Union’s decarbonisation objectives, security of energy supply, digitalisation of the energy system and electrification of demand, for example in mobility and the need for fast recharging points, require an enormous expansion of electricity grids in the European Union, both at transmission level and at distribution level. At transmission level, high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems are needed to connect offshore renewable energies; while at distribution level, connecting electricity providers and managing demand-side flexibility builds on investments in innovative grid technologies, such as electric vehicles smart charging (EVSC) and the potential of improving system ingtegration while reducing costs for users through bi- directional charging, energy efficiency building and industry automation and smart controls, advanced meter infrastructure (AMI) and home energy management systems (HEMS). The electricity grid needs to interact with many actors or devices based on a detailed level of observability, and hence availability of data, to enable flexibility, smart charging and smart buildings with smart electricity grids enabling demand side response from consumers and the uptake of renewables. Connecting the net-zero technologies to the network of the European Union requires the substantial expansion of manufacturing capabilities for electricity grids in areas such as offshore and onshore cables, substations and transformers.
Amendment 33 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) To achieve the 2030 objectives a particular focus is needed on some of the net-zero technologies, also in view their significant contribution towards the path to net zero by 2050. These technologies include solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies, onshore and offshore renewable technologies, battery/storage technologies, heat pumps and geothermal energy technologies, electrolysers and fuel cells, sustainable biogas/biomethane, carbon capture and storage technologies and grid technologies. These technologies play a key role in the Union’s open strategic autonomy, ensuring that citizens have access to clean, affordable, secure energy. Given their role, these technologies should benefit from even faster permitting procedures, obtain the status of the highest national significance possible under national law and benefit from additional support to crowd-in investments. When necessary in order to achieve the objectives of this Regulation, the Commission should, if appropriate, supplement the strategic technologies listed in this Regulation, by adopting delegated acts.
Amendment 42 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20 a (new)
Recital 20 a (new)
(20a) Net-zero technologies will be of key importance to ensure that the Union meets its objective under the European Green Deal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector by 90 percent by 2050. Furthemore, the decarbonisation of transports achieved through net-zero technologies and the swift phasing out of fossil fuels will also deliver significant benefits for human health and the environment in terms of reduced fossil-fuels induced pollution in the air, soil and water.
Amendment 47 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 35
Recital 35
(35) Households and final consumers are an essential part of the Union’s demand for net-zero technologies final products and public support schemes to incentivize the purchase of such product by households, in particular for vulnerable low- and lower middle-class income households and consumers, including those suffering from transport poverty, are important tools to accelerate the green transition. Under the solar rooftop initiative announced in the EU solar strategy52 , Member States should for instance set-up national programmes to support the massive deployment of rooftop solar energy. In the REPowerEU plan, the Commission called Member States to make full use of supporting measures which encourage switching to heat pumps. Such support schemes set up nationally by Member States or locally by local or regional authorities should also contribute to improving the sustainability and resilience of the EU net-zero technologies. Public authorities should for instance provide higher financial compensation to beneficiaries for the purchase of net-zero technology final products that will make a higher contribution to resilience in the Union. Public authorities should ensure that their schemes are open, transparent and non-discriminatory, so that they contribute to increase demand for net-zero technology products in the Union. Public authorities should also limit the additional financial compensation for such products so as not to slow down the deployment of the net-zero technologies in the Union. To increase the efficiency of such schemes Member States should ensure that information is easily accessible both for consumers and for net-zero technology manufacturers on a free website. The use by public authorities of the sustainability and resilience contribution in schemes targeted at consumers or households should be without prejudice to State aid rules and to WTO rules on Subsidies. _________________ 52 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions : EU Solar Energy Strategy, COM(2022) 221 final, 18.05.2022.
Amendment 57 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 57
Recital 57
(57) The environmental assessments and authorisations required under Union law, including in relation to water, air, ecosystems, habitats, biodiversity and birds, are an integral part of the permit granting procedure for a net zero technologies manufacturing project and an essential safeguard to ensure negative environmental impacts are prevented or minimised in line with the 'Do No Significant Harm' principle. However, to ensure that permit granting procedures for net zero technologies manufacturing projects are predictable and timely, any potential to streamline the required assessments and authorisations while not lowering the level of environmental protection should be realised. In that regard, it should be ensured that the necessary assessments are bundled to prevent unnecessary overlap and it should be ensured that project promoters and responsible authorities explicitly agree on the scope of the bundled assessment before the assessment is carried out to prevent unnecessary follow-up.
Amendment 60 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 65
Recital 65
(65) Since strengthening the manufacturing capacity of key net-zero technologies in the Union will not be possible without a sizeable skilled workforce, it is necessary to introduce measures to boost the activation of more people to the labour market, notably women and young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs), including via skills first approaches as a complement to qualifications-based recruitment. In addition, in line with the objectives of the Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition towards climate-neutrality, specific support for job-to-job transition for workers in redundant and declining sectors are important. This means increasing investments investing in skills and in quality job creation required for net-zero technologies in the Union. Building on and fully taking into account existing initiatives such as the EU Pact for Skills, EU level activities on skills intelligence and forecasting, such as by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) and the European Labour Authority, and the Blueprints for sectoral cooperation on skills, the objective is to mobilise all actors: Member States authorities, including at regional and local levels, education and training providers, social partners and industry, in particular SMEs, to identify skills needs, develop education and training programmes and deploy these at large scale in a fast and operational manner. Net-zero strategic projects have a key role to play in this regard. Member States and the Commission mayshould ensure financial support including by leveraging the possibilities of the Union budget through instruments such as the European Social Fund Plus, Just Transition Fund, European Regional Development Funds, the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the Modernisation Fund, REPowerEU and the Single Market Programme.
Amendment 71 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 2 – point b a (new)
Article 1 – paragraph 2 – point b a (new)
ba) good working conditions in all jobs in net-zero technology industries.
Amendment 79 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) ‘net-zero technologies’ means renewable energy technologies66 ; electricity and heat storage technologies; heat pumps; grid technologies; renewable fuels of non-biological origin technologies; sustainable alternative fuels technologies used for maritime and aviation transports 67 ; electrolysers and fuel cells; advanced technologies to produce energy from nuclear processes with minimal waste from the fuel cycle, small modular reactors, and related best-in-class fuels; carbon capture, utilisation, and storage technologies; and energy-system related energy efficiency technologies. They refer to the final products, specific components and specific machinery primarily used for the production of those products. They shall have reached a technology readiness level of at least 8. _________________ 66 ‘renewable energy' means ‘renewable energy’ as defined in Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources 67 ‘sustainable alternative fuels’ means fuels covered by the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on ensuring a level playing field for sustainable air transport, COM/2021/561 final and by the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and Council on the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in maritime transport COM/2021/562 final. 'Conventional aviation fuel' as defined in COM/2021/561 final, and conventional fossil fuels used in maritime transports, are not considered as 'alternative fuels' under this Regulation.
Amendment 92 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point q
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point q
(q) ‘CO2 injection capacity’ means the annual amount of CO2 that can be injected in an operational geological storage site, permitted under Directive 2009/31/EC and in line with the ‘Do No Significant Harm’ principle within the meaning of Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852, with the purpose to reduce emissions or increase carbon removals in energy-intensive sectors with unavoidable CO2 generation, in particular from large scale industrial installations and which is measured in tonnes per annum;
Amendment 112 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 2 – point c a (new)
Article 10 – paragraph 2 – point c a (new)
(ca) the CO2 storage project fulfils the requirements of the ‘Do No Significant Harm’ principle in the meaning of Article 17 in Regulation (EU) 2020/852.
Amendment 132 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 17 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 17 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) oblige entities holding an authorisation as defined in Article 1, point 3, of Directive 94/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council71 on their territory to make publicly available all geological data relating to production sites that have been decommissioned or whose decommissioning has been notified to the competent authority. , as well as data on whether transport infrastructure suitable for CO2 to reach the site is available or can be constructed . _________________ 71 Directive 94/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 1994 on the conditions for granting and using authorizations for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons (OJ L 164, 30.6.1994, p. 3).
Amendment 133 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 17 – paragraph 2 – point b a (new)
Article 17 – paragraph 2 – point b a (new)
(ba) an assessment of each project’s compliance with the ‘Do No Significant Harm’ principle within the meaning of Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852;
Amendment 134 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 a (new)
Article 18 a (new)
Amendment 143 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 25 – paragraph 1 – point 6
Article 25 – paragraph 1 – point 6
(6) promote adequategood working conditions in jobs in net-zero technology industries, the activation of youth, women and seniors to the labour market for net- zero technology industries, and the attraction of skilled workers from third countries, and thereby achieve a more diverse workforce;
Amendment 152 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 32 – paragraph 1
Article 32 – paragraph 1
The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 33 to amend the modalities in which agreements between entities referred to in Article 18(1) and investments in storage capacity held by third parties are taken into account to meet their individual contribution set out in Article 18 (5), as well asto amend the content of the reports referred to in Article 18 (6) as well as to supplement the strategic net-zero technologies in the Annex, if needed to ensure the achievement of the general objective laid down in Article 1(1).