BETA


2020/2043(INI) Towards a WTO-compatible EU carbon border adjustment mechanism
Next event: Debate in plenary scheduled 2021/03/08

Progress: Awaiting Parliament's vote

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead ENVI JADOT Yannick (icon: Unknown Group Unknown Group) JARUBAS Adam (icon: Unknown Group Unknown Group), CHAHIM Mohammed (icon: Unknown Group Unknown Group), CANFIN Pascal (icon: Renew Renew), HUHTASAARI Laura (icon: Unknown Group Unknown Group), ROOKEN Rob (icon: Unknown Group Unknown Group), BOMPARD Manuel (icon: Confederal Group of the European United Left Confederal Group of the European United Left)
Committee Opinion INTA KARLSBRO Karin (icon: Renew Renew) Emmanuel MAUREL (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL), Massimiliano SALINI (icon: PPE PPE), Jan ZAHRADIL (icon: ECR ECR), Markus BUCHHEIT (icon: ID ID)
Committee Opinion BUDG GUALMINI Elisabetta (icon: Unknown Group Unknown Group) Roberts ZĪLE (icon: ECR ECR), Joachim KUHS (icon: ID ID), Francisco GUERREIRO (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), Valérie HAYER (icon: RE RE), Silvia MODIG (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL), Angelika WINZIG (icon: PPE PPE)
Committee Opinion ECON GARICANO Luis (icon: Renew Renew) Christophe HANSEN (icon: PPE PPE), Paul TANG (icon: S&D S&D), Manon AUBRY (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL), Gunnar BECK (icon: ID ID), Damien CARÊME (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), Bogdan RZOŃCA (icon: ECR ECR)
Committee Opinion ITRE GEIER Jens (icon: Unknown Group Unknown Group) Manuel BOMPARD (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL), Damien CARÊME (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), Klemen GROŠELJ (icon: RE RE), Tomas TOBÉ (icon: PPE PPE), Paolo BORCHIA (icon: ID ID), Izabela-Helena KLOC (icon: ECR ECR)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54

Events

2021/03/08
   Debate in plenary scheduled
2021/02/15
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
Details

The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted an own-initiative report by Yannick JADOT (Greens/EFA, FR) entitled "Towards a WTO-compatible EU carbon border adjustment mechanism".

Members considered that ensuring effective and meaningful carbon pricing, as part of a broader regulatory environment, could provide an incentive to develop production methods with a lower carbon footprint and could stimulate investment in innovation and new technologies.

The report shows that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions embedded in imports to the EU have been steadily increasing, undermining the EU's efforts to reduce its global carbon footprint. Net imports of goods and services into the EU account for more than 20% of the EU's CO2 emissions.

A WTO-compatible European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

Members supported the establishment of a European carbon border adjustment mechanism, provided it is compatible with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules and the EU's free trade agreements (FTAs) and is not misused to enhance protectionism.

By supporting EU and global climate policies towards greenhouse gas neutrality, in line with the Paris Agreement objectives, such a mechanism would reduce global CO2 emissions and prevent carbon leakage. It would also encourage European industries and the EU's trading partners to decarbonise their industries.

According to Members, the introduction of a carbon border adjustment mechanism should be:

- part of a package of legislative measures to ensure the rapid reduction of GHG emissions from EU production and consumption, notably by boosting energy efficiency and the deployment of renewable energies;

- combined with policies to promote investment in low-carbon industrial processes, including through innovative financing tools and an environmentally ambitious and socially fair European industrial policy to steer Europe's decarbonised reindustrialisation.

Connection with the revision of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS)

The report called for consideration of the modalities for the design of a border carbon adjustment mechanism coupled with the revision of the EU ETS, so as to ensure complementarity and consistency. To prevent possible distortions in the internal market and along the value chain, the mechanism should cover all products imported under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), including when embedded in intermediate or final products.

The report stressed that, as a starting point (from 2023) and following an impact assessment, the mechanism should cover the power sector and energy-intensive industrial sectors such as cement, steel, aluminium, oil refinery, paper, glass, chemicals and fertilisers, which continue to benefit from significant amounts of free allocations and still account for 94% of the EU's industrial emissions.

Members considered that to address the potential risk of carbon leakage while complying with WTO rules, the mechanism needs to charge the carbon content of imports in a way that mirrors the carbon costs paid by EU producers. Carbon pricing under the mechanism should mirror the dynamic evolution of the price of EU allowances under the EU ETS while ensuring predictability and less volatility in the price of carbon.

Trade-related aspects of a carbon border adjustment mechanism

Members called for the Paris Agreement and its 1.5 ℃ goal to become one of the main guiding principles of trade policy, to which all trade initiatives and their policy tools must be adjusted, by including it in, inter alia, free-trade agreements (FTAs) as an essential element.

Stressing that the EU has played a leading role in global climate action, the report encouraged the Commission and Member States to step up their climate diplomacy ahead of and after the adoption of the legislative proposal for a carbon border adjustment mechanism, and to ensure continued dialogue between trading partners to incentivise global climate action.

Fuelling the EU budget as a new own resource

Members backed the Commission's intention to use the revenue generated by the carbon border adjustment mechanism as new own resources for the EU budget. They defended the objective that this resource should be mainly channelled towards the Green Deal and the just transition, with a significant share earmarked for the transition in the poorest countries and those most affected by climate change.

Documents
2021/02/05
   EP - Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
2020/12/17
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2020/12/14
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2020/12/11
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2020/12/11
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2020/11/11
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2020/10/07
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2020/06/25
   EP - GUALMINI Elisabetta (Unknown Group) appointed as rapporteur in BUDG
2020/04/23
   EP - GARICANO Luis (Renew) appointed as rapporteur in ECON
2020/04/21
   EP - GEIER Jens (Unknown Group) appointed as rapporteur in ITRE
2020/04/16
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
2020/04/16
   EP - Referral to associated committees announced in Parliament
2020/04/16
   EP - JADOT Yannick (Unknown Group) appointed as rapporteur in ENVI
2020/02/19
   EP - KARLSBRO Karin (Renew) appointed as rapporteur in INTA

Documents

Activities

AmendmentsDossier
788 2020/2043(INI)
2020/10/05 ITRE 120 amendments...
source: 658.773
2020/11/03 INTA 105 amendments...
source: 660.137
2020/11/11 ECON 513 amendments...
source: 660.214
2020/11/17 BUDG 50 amendments...
source: 660.345

History

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

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  • The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted an own-initiative report by Yannick JADOT (Greens/EFA, FR) entitled "Towards a WTO-compatible EU carbon border adjustment mechanism".
  • Members considered that ensuring effective and meaningful carbon pricing, as part of a broader regulatory environment, could provide an incentive to develop production methods with a lower carbon footprint and could stimulate investment in innovation and new technologies.
  • The report shows that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions embedded in imports to the EU have been steadily increasing, undermining the EU's efforts to reduce its global carbon footprint. Net imports of goods and services into the EU account for more than 20% of the EU's CO2 emissions.
  • A WTO-compatible European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
  • Members supported the establishment of a European carbon border adjustment mechanism, provided it is compatible with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules and the EU's free trade agreements (FTAs) and is not misused to enhance protectionism.
  • By supporting EU and global climate policies towards greenhouse gas neutrality, in line with the Paris Agreement objectives, such a mechanism would reduce global CO2 emissions and prevent carbon leakage. It would also encourage European industries and the EU's trading partners to decarbonise their industries.
  • According to Members, the introduction of a carbon border adjustment mechanism should be:
  • - part of a package of legislative measures to ensure the rapid reduction of GHG emissions from EU production and consumption, notably by boosting energy efficiency and the deployment of renewable energies;
  • - combined with policies to promote investment in low-carbon industrial processes, including through innovative financing tools and an environmentally ambitious and socially fair European industrial policy to steer Europe's decarbonised reindustrialisation.
  • Connection with the revision of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS)
  • The report called for consideration of the modalities for the design of a border carbon adjustment mechanism coupled with the revision of the EU ETS, so as to ensure complementarity and consistency. To prevent possible distortions in the internal market and along the value chain, the mechanism should cover all products imported under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), including when embedded in intermediate or final products.
  • The report stressed that, as a starting point (from 2023) and following an impact assessment, the mechanism should cover the power sector and energy-intensive industrial sectors such as cement, steel, aluminium, oil refinery, paper, glass, chemicals and fertilisers, which continue to benefit from significant amounts of free allocations and still account for 94% of the EU's industrial emissions.
  • Members considered that to address the potential risk of carbon leakage while complying with WTO rules, the mechanism needs to charge the carbon content of imports in a way that mirrors the carbon costs paid by EU producers. Carbon pricing under the mechanism should mirror the dynamic evolution of the price of EU allowances under the EU ETS while ensuring predictability and less volatility in the price of carbon.
  • Trade-related aspects of a carbon border adjustment mechanism
  • Members called for the Paris Agreement and its 1.5 ℃ goal to become one of the main guiding principles of trade policy, to which all trade initiatives and their policy tools must be adjusted, by including it in, inter alia, free-trade agreements (FTAs) as an essential element.
  • Stressing that the EU has played a leading role in global climate action, the report encouraged the Commission and Member States to step up their climate diplomacy ahead of and after the adoption of the legislative proposal for a carbon border adjustment mechanism, and to ensure continued dialogue between trading partners to incentivise global climate action.
  • Fuelling the EU budget as a new own resource
  • Members backed the Commission's intention to use the revenue generated by the carbon border adjustment mechanism as new own resources for the EU budget. They defended the objective that this resource should be mainly channelled towards the Green Deal and the just transition, with a significant share earmarked for the transition in the poorest countries and those most affected by climate change.
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