EU Industry Must Cut CO2 to Meet Kyoto Targets
Date: 11-Jan-06
Country: BELGIUM
European industry likely will have to cut emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by an average six percent over the period, but the curbs will vary widely from one country to another.
"We need to aim for more reductions...if we want to battle climate change," Commission environment spokeswoman Barbara Helfferich said.
Italy and Spain are among the states that will have to make the steepest cuts because they are furthest from their Kyoto targets on curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
Germany, Britain and France are on track and so have no need to impose much tighter limits on industry than currently in place.
The goals will apply to the second round of the European Union's emissions trading scheme, which coincides with the first phase of legally binding commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.
The EU's emissions trading scheme (ETS), which was launched in January 2005, is the world's first international emissions trading market and the centrepiece of the bloc's efforts to meet its Kyoto goals.
The EU-15, the countries that were members of the bloc before its 2004 expansion to 25 members, have a target of reducing emissions by eight percent from 1990 levels by 2012.
Many governments face difficulty meeting their goals because of rising pollution from industry, the transport sector and households.
EU states set limits on how much CO2 power stations and factories can emit. Firms buy and sell these pollution rights, depending on whether they overshoot or undershoot their targets.
The EU executive urged the EU's 25 nations on Monday to simplify their emissions reduction plans for this second round.
EU states that are not close to meeting their Kyoto goals will have to tighten their allocation plans for the next phase, the Commission said, leading to the expected 6 percent drop compared to the 2005-2007 allocation period.
Those that are on track can keep the same targets from the first phase.
"Member states which are not sufficiently on track must reduce the cap from the first to the second trading period," the Commission said.
In November, the Dutch government said it wanted to tighten the pollution limits for industry to meet its Kyoto Protocol commitments.
Member states must submit their plans to the European Commission by June 30. The EU executive, which can approve or reject the plans, wants to have its decisions wrapped up before the end of 2006.
