Italy Presenting New CO2 Emission Plan to Brussels
Date: 19-Dec-06
Country: SPAIN
Last week, the Commission issued final warnings to Italy and three other countries after they failed to submit national allocation plans (NAP) for the emissions -- part of the bloc's efforts to fight global climate change -- on time.
"The plan is signed by both ministers and will be presented to Brussels today," the spokesman said, referring to Economic Development Minister Pierluigi Bersani and Environment Minister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, who goes to Brussels on Monday.
Under the EU's CO2 emission trading scheme -- its key tool to meet the Kyoto Protocol targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions -- the governments assign free-of-charge emissions quotas to smokestack industries and can also assign paid quotas.
Earlier this month, Italy's economic development ministry, which oversees energy policy, and the environment ministry agreed to cut free quotas of CO2 emissions to 197 million tonnes year from the previously targeted 200 million tonnes under the new NAP.
The total CO2 emissions cap, including the paid quota, was increased to 209 million tonnes from an earlier targeted 206 million tonnes with funds raised from the increased paid quota earmarked to reduce CO2 emissions.
The spokesman said the total caps remained unchanged but a quota assigned to steel producers has been raised. He could not give more details.
Under Italy's 2005-2007 NAP, covering the first stage of emission trading scheme, the country's smokestack industries were assigned a 224-million-tonne free emission quota.
