Global Policy Forum

By Michael Mann

Brussels - The European Commission yesterday urged governments to quickly agree a raft of proposals designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions and give Europe a chance of meeting its international commitments.

Acting EU Environment Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard called for concerted action to unblock long delayed proposals ranging from plans for an EU-wide energy tax to measures to reduce methane emissions from farm animals.

In a report prepared for next month's EU summit in Cologne, she said Europe must overhaul both its legislation and industrial practices if it is to respect a pledge it made at the 1997 Kyoto summit to cut greenhouse gas emissions by eight percent from 1990 levels between 2008-2012. "What we're concerned with is the implementation and ratification of the Kyoto accord. The EU must put its own house in order so it can send out strong signals to other parties," Bjerregaard told a press conference.

The report aims to rebuild political momentum within the EU, which prides itself on being among the vanguard in the fight against the greenhouse effect. It comes as the bloc faces mounting criticism from the United States for its decision to seek international limits on carbon emissions trading.

Bjerregaard urged the 15 EU partners to embrace a two year old proposal to harmonise minimum tax rates on energy products. The plan has remained deadlocked because of strong opposition from a group of governments, led by Spain, which fear it would discriminate against firms in poorer states where tax rates are comparatively low.

"This proposal would go a long way to meeting individual countries' targets," Bjerregaard said. "Governments committed themselves to the Kyoto objectives so we think they should be able to overcome their difficulties on the energy tax."

She welcomed a call by EU energy ministers for legislation to guarantee the future of the renewable energy industry. But Bjerregaard accepted that the EU cannot regulate its way into compliance with its Kyoto commitments.

She pointed to last year's voluntary agreement by the European car industry to limit carbon dioxide pollution from new cars as an example of the sort of approach she wants to see from other industries.

Bjerregaard urged other Kyoto signatories to back the EU's policy that the lion's share of pollution cuts should be achieved through genuine domestic action rather than through the so-called "flexible mechanisms" such as emissions trading. She pledged to develop an EU approach to emissions trading, though this will not be up and running until 2005.

Bjerregaard warned that the EU faced an increase of six percent in the six main greenhouse gases between 1990-2010 without new policy measures, mainly because of increased pollution from transport.

Environmental campaigners attacked the report for its lack of ambition, claiming it would put Europe's climate change policy back two years. "It will not reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, nor does it promote EU leadership on this issue," said Michel Raquet of Greenpeace, adding that the EU should as a first step slash subsidies to the fossil fuel industry.

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