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Sreda, 25. oktober 2006 - Strasbourg Pregledana izdaja

15. Konferenca o podnebnih spremembah v Nairobiju (razprava)
Zapisnik
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  Presidente. Segue-se a pergunta oral à Comissão sobre as alterações climáticas em Nairobi, apresentada por Karl-Heinz Florenz, em nome da Comissão do Ambiente, da Saúde Pública e da Segurança Alimentar (O-0100/2006 - B6-0440/2006).

 
  
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  Σταύρος Δήμας, Μέλος της Επιτροπής. Κύριε Πρόεδρε, η δωδέκατη Διάσκεψη των συμβαλλομένων μερών της Σύμβασης πλαισίου του Οργανισμού Ηνωμένων Εθνών για την αλλαγή του κλίματος στο Ναϊρόμπι, είναι η πρώτη παρόμοια Διάσκεψη που πραγματοποιείται στην υποσαχάρια Αφρική, τη φτωχότερη περιοχή του πλανήτη με την οποία η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση διατηρεί ιδιαίτερες πολιτικές σχέσεις. Είναι επομένως φυσικό η Διάσκεψη να εστιασθεί στις ανάγκες των αναπτυσσομένων χωρών.

Η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση θα τονίσει ιδιαίτερα ότι η καταπολέμηση της αλλαγής του κλίματος μπορεί να συνδυαστεί με ταχεία οικονομική ανάπτυξη. Ακόμη, ότι χρειάζεται να ενσωματωθούν οι πολιτικές μείωσης των εκπομπών αερίων στις διαδικασίες λήψης αποφάσεων για καίριους τομείς.

Η ανάπτυξη των οικονομιών των χωρών της Ασίας, της Αφρικής και της Νότιας Αμερικής, η ασφάλεια του ενεργειακού εφοδιασμού και η βελτίωση της ποιότητας του ατμοσφαιρικού αέρα αποτελούν, για παράδειγμα, σημαντικά -παράλληλα- οφέλη των δράσεων για την αντιμετώπιση των κλιματικών αλλαγών.

Πιστεύω ότι η βελτίωση της κατανόησης, σε διεθνές επίπεδο, των επικίνδυνων επιπτώσεων της αλλαγής του κλίματος, καθώς και η επίδειξη ενδιαφέροντος για την αντιμετώπιση των αναγκών των αναπτυσσομένων χωρών, θα αυξήσουν τις πιθανότητες να επιτύχουμε συμφωνία για την περίοδο μετά το 2012.

Η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση έχει 4 συγκεκριμένες προτεραιότητες στο Ναϊρόμπι. Πρώτον, την επίτευξη συμφωνίας σχετικά με το θεσμικό πλαίσιο του ταμείου προσαρμογής. Το ταμείο θα τροφοδοτείται από εισφορές επί του μηχανισμού καθαρής ανάπτυξης και εκτιμάται ότι θα αποδώσει περισσότερα από 350 εκατομμύρια ευρώ την περίοδο 2008-2012.

Δεύτερον, την επίτευξη συμφωνίας για τον κατάλογο δραστηριοτήτων στο πλαίσιο του πενταετούς προγράμματος εργασίας, σχετικά με την προσαρμογή. Το πρόγραμμα περιέχει σειρά δραστηριοτήτων που στοχεύουν στη βελτίωση της προσαρμοστικότητάς μας, όπως περαιτέρω βελτίωση των γνώσεών μας για τις αρνητικές συνέπειες της κλιματικής αλλαγής, τις κοινωνικοοικονομικές επιπτώσεις της και τα αδύνατα σημεία των οικονομιών και των κοινωνιών μας στις κλιματικές αλλαγές.

Τρίτον, τη διευκόλυνση μεγαλύτερης πρόσβασης στο μηχανισμό καθαρής ανάπτυξης από τις φτωχές χώρες της Αφρικής και άλλες περιοχές του πλανήτη. Οφείλουμε να αντιμετωπίσουμε το ζήτημα της δίκαιης κατανομής των έργων του μηχανισμού καθαρής ανάπτυξης, γιατί μόλις ένα μικρό ποσοστό του συνόλου των έργων προορίζεται για την Αφρική.

Τέταρτον, τη συζήτηση για την περίοδο μετά το 2012, η οποία θα συνεχισθεί, χωρίς όμως και να ολοκληρωθεί στο Ναϊρόμπι. Όντως πιστεύω ότι μας περιμένει ακόμη πολύ δουλειά. Υπάρχουν πολλές απόψεις για το τί πρέπει να γίνει. Οι αναπτυσσόμενες χώρες δεν αισθάνονται άνετα με την προοπτική ότι πρέπει να ενταθούν οι προσπάθειες τους για την καταπολέμηση της κλιματικής αλλαγής. Παράλληλα, πολλές αναπτυγμένες χώρες εξακολουθούν να διστάζουν να λάβουν τα απαραίτητα μέτρα για τη μείωση των εκπομπών αερίων που απαιτείται, ώστε να συμβάλουν στον περιορισμό της μέσης αύξησης της θερμοκρασίας στον πλανήτη κατά 2 βαθμούς Κελσίου.

Στο Ναϊρόμπι, η Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση θα συνεχίσει βάσιμα να υποστηρίζει ότι η μάχη κατά τη κλιματικής αλλαγής και οι αναπτυξιακοί στόχοι της χιλιετίας, όχι μόνον συμβιβάζονται μεταξύ τους, αλλά και αλληλοεξαρτώνται.

Στο Ναϊρόμπι επιθυμούμε να εξασφαλίσουμε, αφενός μια σαφή, συγκεκριμένη και ισόρροπη προσέγγιση, καθώς και σταθερή πρόοδο στην ad hoc ομάδα εργασίας, σχετικά με το άρθρο 3, παράγραφος 9, στο διάλογο που πραγματοποιείται στο πλαίσιο της Σύμβασης. Αφετέρου, την επίτευξη συμφωνίας για τον τρόπο με τον οποίο θα αναθεωρηθεί το Πρωτόκολλο του Κιότο, βάσει του άρθρου 9. Όμως, θα πρέπει να δούμε και πέρα από το Ναϊρόμπι, καθώς η Ευρώπη χρειάζεται να εντείνει τις προσπάθειές της, ώστε να πείσει του εταίρους της σε όλον τον κόσμο, να συνεχισθούν και μετά το 2012 οι προσπάθειες μείωσης των εκπομπών αερίων του θερμοκηπίου.

Κύριοι συνάδελφοι, είναι πολύ θετικό ότι 10 μέλη του Κοινοβουλίου μετέχουν στην κοινοτική αντιπροσωπεία και, προσωπικά προσβλέπω -όπως έχει συμβεί τα τελευταία δύο χρόνια- σε στενή συνεργασία μαζί τους. Θα μεριμνήσω ώστε να έχουν πλήρη ενημέρωση και να τους διαβιβάζονται αμέσως όλα τα διαθέσιμα στοιχεία. Θα απευθυνόμαστε μαζί στα μέσα μαζικής επικοινωνίας και ελπίζω ότι τα μέλη του Κοινοβουλίου θα έχουν επικοινωνία και διάλογο με αντιπροσώπους άλλων χωρών στη διάρκεια της Διάσκεψης. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο θα μπορέσουμε να μεταφέρουμε σε ένα παγκόσμιο ακροατήριο τη φιλοδοξία και το κοινό όραμά μας για ένα αειφόρο μέλλον της ανθρωπότητας.

 
  
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  Avril Doyle, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group. – Mr President, I should like to thank the Commissioner for his well-chosen words here this evening.

I am delighted to be one of the ten MEPs in the European Parliament group in the EU delegation. We are all members of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and we will be led by our colleague, Mr Blokland, as our vice-chairman.

I had expected my colleague, Mr Florenz, to be leading on behalf of the PPE-DE Group, but I do not see him. Part of his question was to put down yet again a marker in the sand about the fact that the members of the European Parliament’s delegation, as part of the EU delegation, will be treated as second-class citizens.

I know the Commissioner will tell us the tale about interinstitutional agreements, the Council, the Commission, precedence and practice. Frankly, we are all sick of hearing that and we do not want to hear it any more. The Commissioner is always excellent on these occasions and gives very generously of his time, as do his officials. They brief us extremely well after the event, outside the door, but we are never let in, not even as observers at the high-level meetings. I should like, on behalf of my PPE-DE Group colleagues and, I suspect, all colleagues, to be treated on a par with both the European Commission and the Council delegates who will be there. If the Commission calls it an EU delegation, then the three EU parties who are present should be treated equally.

The Commissioner told us at a recent briefing that he does not expect spectacular breakthroughs. This will be another interim COP, COP 12-MOP 2 if you like, but it is very important, as this is the first meeting on sub-Saharan Africa. The Commissioner mentioned the need to extend CDMs. At the moment only 2.5% is spent in Africa in this area and that is mainly in Morocco and South Africa, and none in the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa as such. A lot of work needs to be done there. I am very interested in looking into the creation of a carbon fund for Africa, as the Commissioner has suggested, and where that will take us.

Who will finance the Adaptation Fund? The argument is about whether GEF will be the main source of funding and where that is going to be. In Montreal it was agreed that there would be two tracks in the negotiations: one for the UNFCC framework and the other for the Kyoto Protocol. I believe this clarifies where different countries stand. Together we can make progress, bring in more of the developing countries and persuade more of our friends in the United States in particular to join us in the very important task of reducing carbon emissions.

 
  
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  Dorette Corbey, namens de PSE-Fractie. – Voorzitter, commissaris, sinds enige tijd reist Al Gore door de wereld met zijn boodschap. Het klimaat verandert snel, sneller dan verwacht. IJskappen verdwijnen, de zeespiegel stijgt en het point of no return zal snel worden bereikt. Dan verwacht je een antwoord van politici. Niet alleen meehuilen met Al Gore, maar ook het begin van een oplossing. Nairobi is een gelegenheid om die uitdaging met kracht op te pakken. Als we praten over de energiecrisis en het klimaatprobleem, dan moeten we ons niet laten gijzelen door pessimisme. Want oplossingen zijn mogelijk. Waar kunnen we die oplossingen vinden?

Allereerst in vertrouwen in onze eigen maatregelen. Ik wil hier nogmaals mijn steun uitspreken voor het emissiehandelsysteem. Het is lang niet perfect. En ik kijk nu vooral naar de Commissie, die zou moeten verzekeren dat de nationale allocatieplannen geloofwaardig zijn en dat overallocatie tot het verleden behoort. Op iets langere termijn moeten we denken over veiling van emissierechten. Daarmee vermijden we de windfall profits bij de elektriciteitsbedrijven en de al te ruimhartige toewijzing van de gratis uitstootrechten.

Ten tweede pleit ik voor een grootschalige investering in de ontwikkeling van een nieuwe schone energievoorziening. Naast de bestaande initiatieven zijn er veel innovatieve mogelijkheden. Blauwe energie uit de menging van zout en zoet water kan energie opleveren. De laddermolens met vliegers op grote hoogte die werken als een windmolen en energie opwekken. Energieproducerende kassen en huizen, aardwarmte, zonnespiegels, er is erg veel mogelijk. We moeten die mogelijkheden benutten door technologische innovatie. Geld moet van regeringen komen, maar op termijn ook uit de veiling van emissierechten.

Ten derde moeten we de samenwerking met landen als China voortvarend ter hand nemen. Elke maand opent in China een nieuwe elektriciteitscentrale. China heeft schone kolentechnologie nodig en wij moeten die leveren. Technologieoverdracht kan China overhalen om na 2012 verplichtingen op zich te nemen. En als China meedoet, komt de deelname van de Verenigde Staten ook dichterbij.

Ten vierde moeten we ruimhartig investeren in het aanpassingsfonds. Europa heeft de historische verantwoordelijkheid voor klimaatverandering en het is onze taak om de ontwikkelingslanden te helpen zich aan te passen aan de gevolgen hiervan. Klimaatverandering is niet altijd een populair onderwerp in ontwikkelingslanden. Een leider van een ontwikkelingsland - Voorzitter, ik had een minuut extra gekregen, want Anne Ferreira heeft haar spreektijd grootmoedig aan mij afgestaan, dus ik heb drie minuten spreektijd - zei ooit tegen een Nederlandse minister van Milieu: eerst gaan we zo rijk worden als jullie en daarna gaan we ons net zoveel zorgen maken over klimaatverandering. Ik denk dat het anders kan. Rijk worden zonder CO2-uitstoot. Europa heeft de plicht daaraan bij te dragen en in Nairobi moeten we laten zien dat we het ook echt menen.

Commissaris, ik kijk uit naar een heel goede samenwerking tijdens de conferentie in Nairobi. Ik steun uiteraard van harte de oproep die Avril Doyle heeft gedaan. Ik denk dat wij zoveel mogelijk bij alle onderhandelingen betrokken moeten worden en zoveel mogelijk toegang moeten hebben tot de vergaderingen en ik weet dat u uw uiterste best daarvoor zult doen. Nogmaals, ik hoop op een goede samenwerking.

 
  
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  Chris Davies, on behalf of the ALDE Group. – Mr President, I should like to thank the Commissioner for coming to speak to such a packed house about the most important subject facing the planet!

You suggested before that this conference of the parties in Nairobi is a bit of a marking-time sort of meeting, that the lateral events might be as important as the main ones. But we have often heard that, with every month that passes, the problems become greater and more difficult to resolve. So perhaps we cannot afford to have any more intermediate events: the stakes have to be raised and you have to try and extract everything you can from every possible meeting.

I would like to raise three particular issues. First of all, transport emissions within the European Union. According to current figures, five of the major car manufacturers are going to reach the voluntary agreement target of 140g of CO2 by 2008, but 75% are not on target to reach that. Just remember what that means. They signed a voluntary agreement with the Commission, with the European Union. In their own private boardrooms they have looked at the figures and recognised that they could make more profits out of SUVs and four-wheel drives, and they have deliberately decided that they are not going to fulfil that commitment. They have torn it up, they have not shown good faith and it is now time for the Commission to clamp down really hard.

We know from the five who are meeting the target that there is nothing special about 140g. You need tough action, and I hope that will be forthcoming in the next few months.

Secondly, the national allocation plans. I know that you are sending the national allocation plans back to the Member States and saying that a 15% margin between allocations and real CO2 emissions is far from good enough. This is an impossible situation. You know that this is the most important instrument. You need to be tough and to use every resource the Commission has at its disposal to emphasise that national governments have to act on the fine speeches they make in Council.

Finally, looking ahead to the post 2012 emissions trading scheme, how are you going to make it work in future? Free allocations were a good start, but proved pretty weak in practice. Auctioning will still give windfall profits to some of the major power generators. You think you have to start looking at benchmarking, which is very difficult. But you need to tell industry now across the whole of Europe that we are going to reward best practice and it should start investing now in making a difference to our planet.

 
  
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  Satu Hassi, Verts/ALE-ryhmän puolesta. – Arvoisa puhemies, hyvät kollegat, tieteen viesti on yhä vakavampi: mitä uudemmasta tutkimuksesta on kysymys, sitä vakavamman viestin se antaa ilmastomuutoksen kiihtymisestä. Lähestymme kynnystä, jonka jälkeen suurkatastrofit ovat peruuttamattomia. Näin on sanonut myös Britannian ulkoministeri Margaret Beckett, joka totesi, että lähestymme ilmastokaaosta. Samaan aikaan taloudelliset analyysit osoittavat, että hyvinkin kunnianhimoiset päästövähennykset ovat kustannuksiltaan erittäin kohtuullisia ja varsinkin ne tulevat paljon halvemmiksi kuin ilmastomuutoksen päästäminen valloilleen.

Kansalaisten tietoisuus tästä kasvaa, mitä heijastaa esimerkiksi Euroopan ammattiliittojen järjestön ETUCin äskeinen kannanotto, että Euroopan pitää vähentää päästöjään 75 prosenttia vuosisadan puoleen väliin mennessä eikä EU:n pidä odottaa muita.

Myös Yhdysvalloissa kansalaismielipide on muuttumassa. Sitä heijastaa Al Goren elokuvan suuri suosio, isojen lehtien laajat artikkelit ilmastomuutoksesta ja myös sen ratkaisumahdollisuudesta, uusimpana Scientific Americanin viime kuukauden numero energiasta ilman hiiltä.

Tässä tilanteessa todella tarvitaan EU:n johtajuutta. Myös Yhdysvalloissa vastuullista ilmastonsuojelua haluavat katsovat Eurooppaan ja se, mitä Eurooppa tekee, rohkaisee heitä. Meidän on oltava tämän luottamuksen arvoisia. Emme saa myöskään kansainvälisissä neuvotteluissa tyytyä odottamaan ja hukkaamaan aikaa. Meidän on valmisteltava omat rakentavat ehdotuksemme siitä, mitä maailma tekee vuoden 2012 jälkeen.

Myös Euroopan sisällä pitää valmistella omat päästövähennyssitoumukset ja toimet, jotka ovat linjassa sen tavoitteen kanssa, että maapallo ei lämpene yli kahta astetta. Meidän on myös toteutettava oma Kioto-sitoumuksemme, ja siinä päästökauppajärjestelmä on hyvin tärkeä. Rohkaisen komissiota olemaan tiukka. Ei riitä, että päästöillä käydään kauppaa, päästökaupan pitää myös vähentää päästöjä Kioton pöytäkirjan mukaisella tavalla.

Euroopan johtajuutta tarvitsee myös liike-elämä. Jotta se voisi investoida viisaasti, se tarvitsee pitkän aikavälin päästövähennystavoitteita. Väärät investoinnit tulevat hyvin kalliiksi. Voimalaitoksen elinikä on 40 vuotta. Ilmastolle vihamielisiä voimalaitoksia ei pidä rakentaa enää yhtään.

 
  
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  Johannes Blokland, namens de IND/DEM-Fractie. – Voorzitter, het is overduidelijk dat klimaatverandering een realiteit is. Elk jaar wordt de gemiddelde temperatuur hoger; ook dit jaar is daarop helaas geen uitzondering. Vorige week hebben de ministers-presidenten Jan Peter Balkenende en Tony Blair daarom een brief geschreven aan de Raadsvoorzitter met het verzoek om concrete actie. Ik citeer uit hun brief: "Wij hebben slechts tien tot vijftien jaar om de stappen te nemen die nodig zijn om te voorkomen dat we catastrofale keerpunten passeren". Ik verneem graag welke stappen we zeer binnenkort mogen verwachten. De tijd dringt.

Voorzitter, ik wil vanaf deze plaats ook de commissaris nog bedanken voor het actieplan energy efficiency dat vorige week gepubliceerd is, maar ik wil daar wel de aantekening bij maken dat het streefpercentage van 20% ten eerste te laag is en ten tweede nooit gehaald gaat worden als er geen bindende reductiedoelen worden vastgelegd voor de lidstaten.

Voorzitter, zoals de collega's Avril Doyle en Dorette Corbey al stelden, wil de delegatie van het Europees Parlement naar de klimaatconferentie de toezegging dat wij nu eindelijk ook toegelaten worden tot alle vergaderingen die door de delegatie van de Europese Unie worden belegd. Commissaris Dimas weet dat en wij rekenen op zijn steun om dat te bereiken. We zijn een officiële EU-instelling en hebben dus evenveel recht op het bijwonen als de andere instellingen.

 
  
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  Eija-Riitta Korhola (PPE-DE). – Mr President, as we prepare for the next conference on climate change in Nairobi, what is most urgently needed is honesty. It is true that we are proud of the progress we have made so far, but what is the outcome in terms of overall emission reductions? The world needs efficient climate policies that deliver and not unfounded complacency. We all know and agree that we need to move from one-sided EU climate politics to a global front, as only truly global action will lead to efficient emission reductions. Therefore, for the sake of the climate and to really win the battle, let us be honest when analysing the problems arising from the Kyoto Protocol, as well as from the EU ETS preparing for Kyoto.

I am afraid that the headlines have already been written: ‘Nairobi was a success and the EU leads the way’. But is this the right way? Understandably for the EU, it is politically important to stand in the front line and to show a good example, encouraging others to follow sooner or later. However, unless the front cannot be widened, the EU efforts will be like taking a few drops out of the ocean or having a haircut to lose weight.

What makes this especially challenging is the effect that one-sided efforts have on the markets. In the global markets, this means giving the competitive advantage to the polluter, as the cost of environmental investments and emission rights cannot be included in the prices. The temptation is for the international capital of the global markets to be invested where there are neither emission restrictions nor environmental norms. A pollution shift is not a pollution cut.

Interestingly, the last conference on climate change in Montreal was publicly described as a victory. Looking at the results, however, there is not much reason to celebrate. In terms of emission reductions, not a single step forward was taken in Montreal. There is no implication that the mitigation front would be widened. With the Kyoto Protocol, only a quarter of global emissions are controlled. That is not enough.

 
  
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  Marios Matsakis (ALDE). – Mr President, Commissioner, climate change is no longer speculation, it is a fact. As is the prospect of a countdown to unprecedented catastrophe for further generations if the present unacceptable situation continues.

The time has come for brave and bold decisions that will bring about drastic measures which can secure significant results. The EU has in the past taken a leading role in this field, and the UN Nairobi Conference presents our opportunity and our duty to press for concrete and effective action. We no longer have the luxury of waiting for those who still need convincing, or continuing to tolerate those who simply do not care. In my view at least, the following two points must be included in our Nairobi strategy: firstly, strict emission reduction targets must be set and severe penalties must be envisaged and implemented for those who fail to meet them; secondly, the international community must isolate those countries that have not signed the relevant conventions and are not willing to cooperate in the joint fight against climate change. Here I am referring particularly, of course, to the United States, which alone is responsible for one third of global carbon dioxide emissions.

The stance of the USA is represented by the extraordinarily selfish and inconceivably arrogant way the US State Department’s spokesman, Adam Ereli, commented on the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by Russia in 2004. He said, ‘We do not believe that the Kyoto Protocol is something that is realistic for the United States and we have no intention of signing or ratifying it’.

It is about time we stood up to the US and told it straight that if it does not sign and ratify the Kyoto Protocol forthwith, our transatlantic relations will suffer a very heavy blow indeed.

 
  
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  Stavros Dimas, Member of the Commission. Mr President, I should like to express my appreciation for the opportunity to respond to some of the questions raised in this debate and to express my thanks for all the positive contributions.

If Nairobi is a success, it will mean that we have made the right decisions and the right agreements. The Commission recognises the need for the European Union to maintain its leading role in not only international but also domestic efforts to fight climate change. I agree that it is important to assist developing countries to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change and to help them in deploying sustainable technologies.

A few days ago, the Commission proposed the new Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund. The anticipated total initial funding from public and commercial sources is EUR 100 million. This new initiative aims to boost climate-friendly technologies in Africa in particular. In addition, we have the Adaptation Fund. We hope it will be agreed in Nairobi to make this operational. The fund will be financed by 2% on the proceeds of the clean development mechanism. We expect about EUR 350 million to be available for investments in developing countries and in Africa for the period 2008 to 2012.

The European Union can only be credible in its leadership role when it achieves meaningful reductions in domestic emissions and complies with international commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. The second national allocation plans of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme will be a decisive test. If Member States put more allowances into the European market than companies are likely to emit collectively, the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme would fail. Mr Davies said that collectively the first 17 plans notified propose a total allocation that exceeds 2005 emissions of these Member States by about 15%, which is really a lot. I am determined that we shall not permit the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme to fail and the Commission will assess all the National Allocation Plans in a consistent and fair manner. All the Member States will have to contribute to the success of the Emissions Trading Scheme in the period 2008 to 2012.

I agree that we should try very hard with our public relations and the possibilities for influencing our governments, but also your involvement and action is important in this crucial phase of the Emissions Trading Scheme. I would ask you that together we ensure that, in all the capitals of the Member States and in Brussels, this debate on the allocation is about how much more we should reduce, rather than how much more we can emit.

In the next few days, a communication on the Emissions Trading Scheme should be adopted by the Commission, launching a review of this important scheme. This will address its scope, how to make it simpler and more predictable, strengthening compliance and linking up with Emissions Trading Schemes elsewhere.

As regards tackling transport emissions, which contribute to about 22% of the emissions in the European Union, this year the Commission will put forward a legislative proposal to include the aviation sector in European Union emissions trading. Also this year, the Commission will review the possibilities for further reductions of carbon dioxide emissions from cars after 2008-2009, with a view to meeting the Community target of 120g of carbon dioxide per kilometre by 2012. That will, of course, require legislation.

The Commission is also exploring options for a legal framework in the European Union to allow the safe capture and underground storage of carbon dioxide from industrial installations, provided that that is considered appropriate.

The Commission also intends to promote adaptation measures, helping the regional and national decision-makers to deal with increasingly evident impacts of climate change. On the basis of a Green Paper on adaptation to climate change, to be launched at a conference in Brussels on 1 December, the Commission will begin a public debate on the need to adapt to unavoidable climate change.

Most importantly, we will have to further frame the international debate after 2012. Next January, the Commission is planning to release its energy package. A core part of the package will be the strategic European Union energy review. This will put forward an alternative energy scenario for the European Union that is in line with the European Union’s long-term climate change objective.

Close to the adaptation of the energy package, the Commission will also be releasing a Green Paper on the European Union’s views on further action to tackle climate change. This Green Paper will respond to the European Council’s request to develop a European Union strategy to limit global warming to 2°C, compared to pre-industrial levels. It will identify concrete proposals, both within the European Union and internationally, for achieving that objective. One of our main objectives will be to bring on board the United States and other fast-developing countries like China and India in a common but differentiated way, as provided for by the United Nations Convention on Climate Change.

The Commission will ensure that the energy package and the Green Paper put forward a climate and energy strategy for the European Union that is coherent, coordinated and sustainable. I believe that since last year in Montreal there is a certain new momentum in the international debate on climate change. While we need to keep up the pace in domestic efforts, in the international process we will have to remain patient and continue to build trust.

Finally, I would like to say that Al Gore has really helped a lot in raising awareness in the European Union and I had the honour to introduce him to a packed theatre in Brussels about a month ago.

 
  
MPphoto
 
 

  Presidente. Comunico que recebi uma proposta de resolução(1) apresentada em conformidade com o nº 5 do artigo 108º do Regimento.

O debate está encerrado.

A votação terá lugar na quinta-feira, às 11h30.

 
  

(1)Ver Acta.

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