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Giovedì 22 ottobre 2020 - Bruxelles Edizione rivista

8. Allineamento del trattato sulla Carta dell'energia al Green Deal europeo (discussione)
Video degli interventi
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  Der Präsident. – Als nächster Punkt der Tagesordnung folgt die Aussprache über die Erklärung der Kommission zur Anpassung des Vertrags über die Energiecharta an den europäischen Grünen Deal (2020/2827(RSP)).

Ich möchte Sie davon in Kenntnis setzen, dass bei sämtlichen Aussprachen wie bekannt weder spontane Wortmeldungen noch blaue Karten oder Wortmeldungen zur Geschäftsordnung akzeptiert werden können. Und wir werden auch bei dieser Debatte Kolleginnen und Kollegen, die online ihre Wortmeldungen aus den Verbindungsbüros abgeben, zuschalten.

Sie wissen ebenfalls, dass im Laufe dieser Debatte zum Tageordnungspunkt Präsident Sassoli kommen wird, um uns nach der Sitzung der Konferenz der Präsidenten den Gewinner des Sacharow-Preises mitzuteilen.

 
  
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  Kadri Simson, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, honourable Members of the European Parliament, I would like to thank you for this opportunity to debate on this important topic today.

The Energy Charter Treaty is in need of substantial reform. In the past years, the European Union, including this Parliament and the Member States, have repeatedly called for a modernisation of the charter. The need for reform is also considered necessary by most of the other contracting parties.

Based on its negotiating mandate, the Commission has engaged in this negotiation with determination and a clear position. However, we know that a successful modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty will be a challenge, and it will require that all the contracting parties and stakeholders contribute to this collective result.

For the EU, the objective of making the Energy Charter Treaty green is at the heart of the modernisation process. Member States have given their permission, a mandate to negotiate, which reflects the EU’s reformed investment project protection standards, and ensures strong sustainable development provisions.

The Commission also has a duty to make the Energy Charter future—proof, so that it can help us address climate change, and clean energy transition goals, and facilitate a transition to a low carbon energy system in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

With the adoption of the European Green Deal and the EU commitment to move to climate neutrality by 2050, the European Commission has now stepped up its climate ambitions.

Once confirmed by the co-legislators, the revised greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets for 2030 will need to be reflected in our negotiations. A level of ambition, as proposed by the Commission for at least 55% greenhouse gas reduction, requires transposition into concrete actions, including in the external dimension of the UN energy and climate policies.

Honourable Members, let me update you on the progress of the Energy Charter Treaty’s modernisation process.

The negotiations with the energy charter’s contracting parties have started in 2020. We had two rounds of negotiations so far, in July and September. A third round is scheduled for 3 until 6 November, another round is already planned for the end of February, or March 2021.

Based on the negotiating directives adopted by the Council in July 2019, the Commission submitted in advance of the first round of negotiations, a proposal addressing specifically investment protection and dispute settlement.

The text proposed also puts forward new provisions on sustainable development in the area of climate change, and clean energy transition in particular. These provisions recognise the urgent need of pursuing the Paris Agreement in order to effectively combat climate change and its impacts, and to regulate to that effect, at national level.

Our ambition in the modernisation reflects the EU’s leading role in ensuring that the energy transition happens also in partner countries, in line with the Paris Agreement goals. For this reason, we will proceed with a pragmatic and realistic approach to ensure successful outcomes.

The complex negotiations ahead of us involve a variety of factors, and require increased cooperation, and accelerated efforts, in order to achieve the necessary consensus among all contracting parties, some of which are at different stages of development of their energy and climate policies.

We can trust that the European Green Deal is at the core of our EU policy. It is our political aim, to ensure that the Energy Charter Treaty only protects those investments that support transition to a climate neutral energy system.

I want to make the European Charter a tool also for a clean energy transition that is aligned with our EU agenda and with our collective goals under the Paris Agreement.

We count on the European Parliament to support us in this process.

 
  
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  Maria Spyraki, on behalf of the PPE Group. – Mr President, the Energy Charter Treaty provides a multilateral framework for energy cooperation that is unique under international law.

Today 81% of investments protected by the Energy Charter Treaty are intra—EU investments. However, it is important to recognise that the Treaty is outdated, notably when it comes to arbitration clauses between foreign investors and Member States. The Treaty must reinstate Europe’s rights to regulate, particularly on the issue of climate change. We must insist on the establishment of a multilateral investment court.

Our response to the voices asking to withdraw collectively from the Energy Charter Treaty, in order to allow for the implementation of Europe’s clean energy package, must be a deep revision of the Treaty, addressing the Paris Agreement deals and aligning with our Green Deal road map, in order to reshape our economy into green and digital, and finally secure that this alignment will provide sustainable and affordable energy prices for all consumers.

But we are not naive. Unanimity requires compromise. We must work multilaterally in finally concluding a forward-looking Energy Charter Treaty, with the clear provision of phasing out fossil fuels, with the safeguarding of energy security through the operation of more open and competitive energy markets, while respecting the principles of sustainable development and sovereignty over energy resources.

 
  
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  Kathleen Van Brempt, on behalf of the S&D Group. – Mr President, let me be quite clear, crystal clear, the Energy Charter Treaty is not in line with the Green Deal. It’s an instrument of the past, it’s even an instrument of a former decade.

Favouring large fossil fuel companies over the environment is not the way forward. It’s not adapted to the current reality, and not to our climate ambitions.

As has been stated also in the former debate, there’s a fundamental reform necessary in our energy system and we will not succeed doing that if the ECT continues to protect fossil fuel investments.

Moreover, and that is very interesting and very frightening to see, that it is expected that more cases targeting climate policies will arise, once Member States start to implement the commitments that they have made in line with the Green Deal and the Paris Agreement, and that is unacceptable.

So we need a fundamental reform of the ECT. This will not be easy, as for instance, Japan already stated that it is not in favour of a fundamental reform. I want to be also crystal clear on what the next step should be, that if it is not possible to have a fundamental reform, I think it’s absolutely necessary that the EU prepares itself to withdraw from the ECT.

We’ve made that clear also in a former debate, and in a former a vote on the climate law, where we clearly made a statement on the ECT.

So my question to the Commission is very simple. The Commissioner thinks it is possible to align the ECT with the Green Deal. I do not doubt the good intentions that the Commissioner has, and the Commission overall, but I do doubt that we have the good partners in place to make that reform possible: will you be able and ready to withdraw from the treaty the moment that you see there is no possibility for a good reform?

 
  
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  Martin Hojsík, on behalf of the Renew Group. – Mr President, it’s great that we are having this debate, but this should be only the start. We need to put the spotlight on the Energy Charter Treaty and ensure that it receives the attention that it needs.

And it deserves attention, because as they say ‘Houston, we have a problem’. Problem, that the Treaty that we only experts only really know about can cost us billions in compensation for private companies, often shell companies. If we want to prevent catastrophic climate change costs us public money that we urgently need to avert the climate crisis. Because the Energy Charter Treaty as it stands is not and, I repeat, not compatible with the European Green Deal nor several international legally binding commitments, let’s say, for example, the Paris Agreement.

We have a problem if we, for example, invest now in gas and in twenty years, we need to shut it down because we have available alternative and ran out of the carbon budget. What do we do then? Start compensating all the investors? To put it simple, we cannot and should not protect investments into fossil fuels. The risk of climate crisis is already known to all investors; they don’t need the protection and they should not get it.

Now this is where you might expect me to tell you the solution, but I will not. Right now, I want the Commission and the Member States to tell us, the citizens of Europe, what you want to do about it. You want to renegotiate – that’s good to hear, but what do you do if the negotiations fail? Because when it comes to climate, we cannot afford to fail. We would not be forgiven.

 
  
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  Markus Buchheit, im Namen der ID-Fraktion. – Herr Präsident, Frau Kommissarin! Welcome back. Schon scheint es, als ob die Fridays for Future-Demos langsam von den Titelseiten der Boulevardblätter verschwunden wären, doch zombieartig hallen ihre Forderungen hier im Alltagsgeschäft der Union fort. Welcher Wahnsinn muss uns als politische Entscheidungsträger reiten, den in seinen Ausmaßen noch gar nicht überschaubaren exogenen Schock der globalen Pandemie durch den Grünen Deal noch weiter anzufachen?

Wir reden hier von einem Alignment mit dem Grünen Deal – wunderbare Worte! Sie verkaufen den Bürgern die vielbeschworene grüne Wende hier als das europäische Men on the Moon-Projekt, als absolute Notwendigkeit – jetzt sofort – mit CO2—Reduktionen von 55 oder 60 %, ganz egal, ohne Folgenabschätzungen, was für Auswirkungen diese Zahlen auf unsere Industrie und Gesellschaft tatsächlich haben werden.

Schon heute ist der Strompreis für unsere Industrie in Deutschland fast dreimal so hoch wie in den USA, und er wird weiter steigen. Das wird uns Wettbewerbsfähigkeit, am Schluss natürlich auch Wohlstand, kosten. Das wissen Sie bei der Kommission, und deswegen wird eine absurde Idee durch die nächste absurde Idee ergänzt. Und zwar der Green Deal zum Beispiel durch den carbon border adjustment mechanism oder, wie wir jetzt heute auch gehört haben, durch den Ausstieg aus dem ECT.

Haben wir jahrelang hier in der EU andere Staaten für Protektionismus und Isolationismus verurteilt, so betreiben wir diesen jetzt selber. Frau Kommissarin, Sie haben vorhin vom Glauben an den Green Deal gesprochen. Glauben ist schön, doch was sind die Zahlen? Was werden uns diese Maßnahmen am Schluss tatsächlich kosten?

 
  
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  Anna Cavazzini, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, whenever I speak to citizens about the Energy Charter Treaty they are shocked. The Energy Charter Treaty allows investors to bring EU Member States in front of private arbitration panels because those governments want to fulfil the requirements of the Paris Agreement.

The Energy Charter Treaty makes governments pay billions of taxpayers’ money just because they want to fight the climate crisis and implement the Green Deal. And does this sound completely insane? Yes, it does, but it is the truth and the Energy Charter Treaty is the embodiment of a fossil era that has to come to an end. And this is why the reform by the Commission is so overdue and also welcomed.

But I have two major concerns to bring before the Commissioner. First, we need an effective reform. So the Commission must delete fossil fuels from the definition of economic activities and thus end the protection of fossil fuels. And second, we have to face the reality. An effective reform is very unlikely, given the anonymity required. So I urge the Commission to set a clear deadline and prepare for leaving the Treaty. And I know, Madam Commissioner, you will come now with a sunset clause. Yes, the sunset clause is bad; it protects investment for another 20 years if we leave the Energy Charter Treaty now. But better leaving earlier than later. At the very least, we need to end inner EU application and thus eliminate already half of the cases. I count on your support.

 
  
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  Beata Szydło, w imieniu grupy ECR. – Panie Przewodniczący! Szanowna Pani Komisarz! Realia polityki energetycznej i klimatycznej zmieniają się bardzo szybko. Rośnie potrzeba zacieśniania współpracy regionalnej i globalnej w tym zakresie. W ciągu tylko pięciu ostatnich lat przyjęliśmy porozumienie paryskie i została ogłoszona strategia Zielonego Ładu, a więc rzeczą naturalną jest, że musimy również przystąpić do zmiany Traktatu karty energetycznej.

Powinniśmy jednak czynić to realistycznie, szczególnie w tym trudnym momencie, gdy panuje kryzys spowodowany pandemią, gdy liczy się każde miejsce pracy, gdy trzeba wspierać gospodarkę. Postulaty przyświecające modernizacji traktatu powinny zatem być realistyczne. Musimy chronić inwestycje i dokonywać zmian zgodnie z wypracowanymi wcześniej strategiami i przede wszystkim z myślą o wsparciu gospodarki.

 
  
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  Silvia Modig, GUE/NGL-ryhmän puolesta. – Arvoisa puhemies, kun ECT-sopimusta nyt ollaan modernisoimassa, on välttämätöntä, että se saadaan tukemaan siirtymää kohti hiilineutraaleja yhteiskuntia. Tällä hetkellä se ei sitä tee, vaan päinvastoin, se antaa yhtiöille mahdollisuuden nostaa kanne niitä valtioita vastaan, jotka haluavat muuttaa lainsäädäntöään ja siten energiapalettiaan kohti kestävää hiilineutraalia mallia.

Sopimuksen investointisuoja suojaa fossiilisia polttoaineita huolimatta siitä, että me tiedämme, että ne merkittävästi pahentavat ilmastokriisiä. Tämän lisäksi investointisuojalauseke sisältää valtavan ongelman demokratian kannalta. Lainsäädännön muutoksia tekevät hallitukset, jotka ovat päässeet valtaan vaaleissa kansan tahdosta. Kun yhtiöille investointisuojan nimissä annetaan mahdollisuus kyseenalaistaa nämä demokraattiset päätökset, annetaan niille oikeus kyseenalaistaa kansan vaaleissa antama mielipide.

Tälläkin hetkellä yhtiöt voivat pitää hallituksia panttivankinaan uhkaamalla välimiesmenettelyllä, jos kyseinen valtio haluaisi esimerkiksi kieltää kivihiilen käytön. Se mahdollistaa sen, että ilmastotoimia estetään, vesitetään tai hylätään siinä pelossa, että ne johtavat miljardien eurojen kanteeseen.

Kun hyväksyimme ilmastolain, hyväksyimme sen kirjauksen, jonka mukaan kaiken politiikkamme on oltava linjassa ilmastolain tavoitteiden kanssa eli Pariisin sopimuksen kanssa, kuten ilmastolaissa kirjoitetaan. ECT-sopimus on täydessä ristiriidassa Green Dealin tavoitteiden kanssa. Se ei sisällä minkäänlaisia tavoitteita päästöjen vähentämiseksi tai ilmastokriisin ratkaisemiseksi, ja tämän on muututtava perustavan laatuisella tavalla.

Komissaari, oletteko valmis luopumaan ja irtautumaan sopimuksesta, mikäli yksimielisyyttä perustavanlaatuisista muutoksista ei riittävässä aikataulussa saada?

 
  
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  Sunčana Glavak (PPE). – Poštovani predsjedavajući, zastarjele odredbe Ugovora o energetskoj povelji trebaju se modernizirati u skladu s posljednjim ciljevima Europske komisije u namjeri da se ograniči utjecaj klimatskih promjena. Kako bi se zapravo dao doprinos postizanju klimatskih ciljeva zacrtanih u Pariškom sporazumu o ciljevima održivog razvoja te ambicijama Europske unije, ECT bi trebao poticati ulaganja u održivu energiju s niskim udjelom ugljika i, jednako tako, podržati mjere za promicanje pravedne tranzicije.

Međutim, u svjetlu hitne potrebe za klimatskim djelovanjem, ono što ECT stvarno treba temeljita je preinaka. Današnja rasprava, vjerujem, možda može pozitivno utjecati ne samo na razmišljanje o nužnim promjenama za ostvarenje klimatskih ciljeva nego i na druge odredbe ECT-a koje imaju također značajan negativan utjecaj na međunarodni pravni poredak. Moramo zaustaviti ulaganja u fosilna goriva i ukloniti nepovoljne odredbe koje zapravo investitorima daju mogućnost podnošenja tužbi protiv država pred privatnim arbitražnim sudovima. O tome smo već danas nešto čuli.

Najveći izazov možda s kojim se države članice suočavaju jest klauzula o zaštiti investitora. Ona, naime, omogućuje da u slučaju promjene politike i regulative imaju pravo na naknadu štete ako nisu u mogućnosti realizirati investiciju. Ova klauzula često se zloupotrebljava. Prema podacima tajništva ECT-a, ukupno su uložene 134 tužbe energetskih tvrtki protiv država, a gotovo polovica postupaka još uvijek traje. Zaključit ću, Europska unija se temelji na vladavini prava i poštivanju pozitivnih zakonskih propisa. Interesi naših građana moraju biti prioritet.

 
  
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  Der Präsident. – Ich kann im Moment nicht mit der Debatte fortfahren, weil ich jetzt unterbreche für die Bekanntgabe des Gewinners des Sacharow-Preises durch den Präsidenten. Wir setzen nach dieser Mitteilung sofort die Debatte wieder fort.

 
  
  

PRESIDENZA DELL'ON. DAVID MARIA SASSOLI
Presidente

 
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