Activites

• 2004/11/13 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Directive 2004/101
  • OJ L 338 13.11.2004, p. 0018-0023
• 2004/10/27 Final act signed
• 2004/10/27 End of procedure in Parliament
• #2603
• 2004/09/13 Council Meeting
• 2004/09/13 Act adopted by Council after Parliament's 1st reading
• 2004/04/20 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T5-0303/2004 summary

    The European Parliament adopted a resolution based on the report drafted by Alexander DE ROO (Greens/EFA, NL), and effected a compromise agreement with the Council. The main points are as follows: - Credits counted towards national quotas will be limited in proportion to total national emissions. The Member States, however, retain the power to set the ceiling; - Member States may allow operators to use certified emission reductions CERs) from 2005 and emission reduction units (ERUs) from 2008 in the Community scheme. The use of CERs and ERUs from 2008 is allowed up to a percentage of the allocation to each installation, to be specified by each Member State in its National Allocation Plan. The use will take place through the issue and immediate surrender of one allowance in exchange for one CER or ERU. An allowance issued in exchange for a CER or ERU will correspond to that CER or ERU. - Each Member State will decide on the limit for the use of CERs and ERUs from project activities having due regard to the relevant provisions of the Kyoto Protocol and the Marrakech Accords, to meet the requirements that the use of the mechanisms should be supplemental to domestic action. Domestic action will thus constitute a significant element of the effort made. - On carbon sinks, Parliament backed the Commission in its plan to outlaw their use as JI and CDM. The Commission should consider, in its review of the Directive in 2006, technical provisions related to the temporary nature of credits and the limit of 1% for eligibility for land use, land-use change and forestry project activities as established in Decision 17/CP.7, and provisions related to the outcome of the evaluation of potential risks associated with the use of genetically modified organisms and potentially invasive alien species by afforestation and reforestation project activities, to allow operators to use CERs and ERUs resulting from land use, land use change and forestry project activities in the Community scheme from 2008, in accordance with the decisions adopted pursuant to the UNFCCC or the Kyoto Protocol. - The Environment Committee and the rapporteur (see the preceding summary) also wanted to exclude large hydroelectricity projects from the flexible mechanisms as they often have a devastating social or environmental impact. This view was not completely supported in the compromise deal adopted by the Parliament. The deal says that hydro-electric power production project activities are to be counted as JIs and CDMs but Member States shall ensure, when approving such project activities with a generating capacity exceeding 20MW, that relevant international labour law criteria and guidelines are followed, as well as environmental impact assessments. Criteria and guidelines that are relevant to considering whether hydro- electric power production projects have negative environmental and social impacts have been identified by the World Commission on Dams in its year 2000 Final Report, by the OECD and by the World Bank. The Commission will monitor all hydroelectric projects above 500MW approved by the UN executive agency for Flexible Mechanisms, in order to retain the option of excluding them during the revision of the Linking directive in 2006; - Following entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, the Commission should examine whether it could be possible toconclude agreements with countries listed in Annex B to the Kyoto Protocol which have yet to ratify it, to provide for the recognition of allowances between the Community scheme and mandatory greenhouse gas emissions trading schemes capping absolute emissions established within those countries. Member States shall report to the Commission every two years on the extent to which domestic action actually constitutes a significant element of the efforts undertaken at national level, as well as the extent to which the use of the project mechanisms is actually supplemental to domestic action, and the ratio between them, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Kyoto Protocol. The Commission shall, if appropriate, make legislative or other proposals to complement provisions by Member States to ensure that the use of the mechanisms is supplemental to domestic action within the Community. - The directive will be transposed 12 months after its entry into force.�

• 2004/04/19 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 2004/03/16 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A5-0154/2004
• #X020
• 2004/03/02 Council Meeting
  • 2566
• #2536
• 2003/10/27 Council Meeting
  • 2536
• 2003/09/01 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 2003/07/23 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(2003)0403 summary

    PURPOSE : to present a proposal for a Directive establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emissions allowance trading within the Community, in respect of the Kyoto Protocol's project mechanisms. CONTENT : the Commission is proposing this new initiative to combat climate change globally. The proposal for a new Directive will allow European companies to carry out emissions-curbing projects around the world and convert the credits earned into emissions allowances under the European Union emissions trading scheme. The proposal builds on the so-called market-based flexible mechanisms "Joint Implementation" and the "Clean Development Mechanism" envisaged by the Kyoto Protocol. Their aim is to reach the global emissions reduction targets in a cost-effective way while transferring advanced technology to other industrialised and developing countries. Joint Implementation (JI) and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) are mechanisms created by the Kyoto Protocol to enable governments to meet part of their greenhouse gas reduction commitments by developing emissions reduction projects in other countries. JI projects are to be undertaken in countries that have quantitative emissions reductions targets under the Kyoto protocol, i.e. industrialised countries. CDM projects are to be hosted by developing countries, which have no quantitative targets. JI and CDM will transfer environmentally sound technologies to the host countries, which will assist them in reaching their sustainable development objectives. JI and the CDM are "project-based", and allow the generation of credits when projects achieve emission reductions that are additional to what would have occurred in the absence of the project (the "baseline" scenario). Such projects need to result in real, measurable and long term benefits related to the mitigation of climate change, while contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goals of host countries, notably through the transfer of environmentally sound technologies. JI and the CDM differ to the extent that projects take place in countries with different commitments and, consequently, they are subject to different project cycle requirements under the Marrakech Accords. It should be noted that on 18 March 2003, the Council adopted a Common Position on a Directive establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community in order to promote reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in a cost-effective manner within the EU. Final adoption of this Directive is expected in 2003. The core element of this proposal is to provide the recognition of JI and CDM credits as equivalent to EU emission allowances for their use within the Community scheme by operators to fulfil their obligations. Linking will increase the diversity of compliance options within the Community scheme thereby leading to a reduction of compliance costs for installations in the scheme. Linking will improve the liquidity of the European market in greenhouse gas emissions allowances and lower the market price for them. It is estimated that annual compliance costs in the period 2008-12 for covered installations in the enlarged EU will be reduced by -more than 20%. Allowance prices in the enlarged EU with linking as proposed are estimated to be lowered by about half. This proposal will stimulate the demand for JI credits, inparticular from Russia because of the great potential for projects there, and will lead to more investments by EU companies and the development and transfer of advanced environmentally sound technologies and knowhow. By stimulating demand for CDM credits it will also assist developing countries hosting CDM projects in achieving their sustainable development goals through the transfer of environmentally sound technologies and know how. It will contribute towards the fight against climate change through implementation of the Kyoto Protocol and the UNFCCC. Lastly, this proposal also creates synergies with European research through the Community's RTD Framework Programmes. European research supports technologies to address climate change the transfer of which to other industrialised and to developing countries will be promoted by JI and CDM.�

  • DG [{'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/environment/', 'title': 'Environment'}],

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(2003)0403
• Debate in Council: 2536
• Debate in Council: 2566
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A5-0154/2004
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T5-0303/2004
• : Directive 2004/101
• : OJ L 338 13.11.2004, p. 0018-0023

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)