A4-0120/98

Resolution on the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the strategy for reducing methane emissions (COM(96)0557 - C4-0001/97)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the Commission communication (COM(96)0557 - C4-0001/97),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection and the opinions of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development and the Committee on Research, Technological Development and Energy (A4-0120/98),

A. having regard to the undertakings given by the EU both in the Maastricht Treaty and the Treaty of Amsterdam concerning sustainable development and all the actions to be taken with a view to reducing atmospheric pollution,

B. having regard to the guidelines set in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1993) ((OJ L 33, 7.2.1994, p. 13.)),

C. having regard to the provisions in the Fifth framework action programme on the environment 'Towards Sustainability' ((OJ C 138, 17.5.1993, p. 5.)) on the establishment of a monitoring mechanism of Community CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions ((OJ L 167, 9.7.1993, p. 31.)),

D. having regard to the conclusions of the Council of Environment Ministers of December 1994 on the possible adoption of a strategy for the reduction of greenhouse gases other than CO2, in particular methane and nitrous oxide,

E. having regard to the agreement reached at the UN Kyoto Conference on Climate Change,

F. having regard to the demands of the intergovernmental group on climate change, established in accordance with the Berlin mandate, with regard to methane emissions,

G. aware of the great effectiveness of action on anthropogenic methane sources, because of its effect on the total volume of methane and because of the short life of this gas,

H. concerned by the relative tardiness of the European Union with regard to measures and actions seeking to reduce methane emissions,

I. attaching great value to the recommendations contained in the communication for action on the three main sources of emissions, namely livestock rearing, landfills and the use of fossil fuels; considering, however, that attention should also be paid to complementary aspects such as other agricultural activities (rice cultivation, brush fires), other sources of energy such as coalmining and other areas of investigation such as emissions from oceans or the invention of instruments and equipment associated with the use of methane,

J. having regard to the serious problems of methane leakage in much of the older pipeline network in the former Soviet Union,

K. whereas access to pipelines is essential for the use of landfill and other sources of methane,

L. whereas it is extremely important to involve the general public in these actions by making them aware of the scale of this problem, in order that they appreciate the need to change their behaviour in such areas as waste disposal,

1. Welcomes the Commission´s strategy paper in that the approach of seeking to reduce methane emissions is particularly suited to making advances in combating the greenhouse effect, owing to the highly reactive properties of this gas and their impact on climate;

2. Considers it appropriate to draw up a detailed study assessing the scale and effects on the territory of the EU of methane emissions, whether natural or anthropogenic;

3. Considers it a matter of urgency, in view of the scale of the problem, for the Commission to submit a package of legislative, economic and social recommendations, covering all sources of methane and not restricting itself to the three referred to above, with a view to achieving a substantial reduction in methane emissions through practical proposals within a definite timescale;

4. Calls on the Commission to submit its proposals and requirements as inputs to the international debate and to take account of this debate in its own thinking;

5. Calls on the Commission to make preparations for the establishment of a European climate agency as a means of coordinating public and private climate protection measures and to report to the Parliament on progress and setbacks on the way to its establishment;

6. Considers the Commission's proposal to draw up programmes and initiatives seeking to recover methane coming from coal mining and landfills to be sensible; considers that these energy production programmes should be integrated into the European policies which are currently being implemented in this field;

7. Considers that access to pipelines must be permitted for technically appropriate sources of methane, such as landfill or coalmine methane;

8. Considers it appropriate for the Commission to draw up an action plan to reduce methane emissions which cannot be utilized subsequently, such as emissions from rice cultivation, leakages from gas pipelines and the burning of fossil fuels;

9. Asks the Commission to ensure that repair programmes for old pipelines are given adequate attention in the deployment of EU funds in third countries such as those of the former Soviet Union;

10. Calls on the Commission to submit proposals on tax concessions for European undertakings that demonstrably contribute to reducing CH4 emissions in third countries;

11. Calls on the Commission to work towards the adoption of quantified reduction values and to summarize the measures proposed by it in a qualified and timetabled action-plan;

12. Calls on the Commission to submit proposals for amending waste disposal legislation that will serve the purpose of avoiding waste and reducing emissions by retrofitting existing landfill sites and establishing approval criteria for the construction of new ones;

13. Realizes how important the issue of methane emissions is and believes it should also be seen as a factor to be taken into account in the various proposals for the reform of the present common agricultural policy, together with other environmental factors;

14. Stresses, however, that livestock reduction (which, in any case, is already taking place, e.g. as a result of milk quotas, the BSE crisis and extensification of production) does not seem a feasible solution in the long term, partly because a reduction in the EU would automatically lead to an increase in competing third countries and would therefore mean no change in the overall impact.

15. Considers that an increase in animal productivity is not much more feasible, given its impact on the environment (livestock concentration) and on animal welfare and that more research should instead go into improving animal diets with respect to methane emissions;

16. Considers that better prospects are offered by the management of livestock effluents, a major problem in all intensive farming regions, given the pollution involved, and that widespread use of recovery systems and energy conversion of animal waste should be a priority objective of the European Union;

17. Considers that, in the context of the debate on the drawing up and adoption of the fifth framework programme on research, great emphasis should be placed on research projects for the monitoring and reduction of methane emissions and their exploitation, whether such emissions are from natural or anthropogenic sources, and that account must be taken of scientific and technical aspects and social and economic considerations;

18. Asks the Commission to undertake a study into methane hydrates;

19. Considers further research efforts with a view to reducing methane emissions in coalmining to be necessary, and draws attention to the research potential to be realized from unresolved questions concerning the contribution to the greenhouse effect of methane emissions generated by animal digestion and animal excrement;

20. Proposes the drawing up at European level of a range of regulations with a view to encouraging and promoting any actions which could have a direct or indirect effect on reducing methane emissions;

21. Considers that increasing public awareness about the reduction of methane emissions is an important element for the success of this project and calls on the Commission, therefore, to encourage this process through recommendations to the education sector and those responsible for increasing public awareness through the media;

22. Recommends that Parliament should hold an annual debate on progress made in implementing all the measures adopted and on their increasing effectiveness on the reduction of methane emissions in Europe;

23. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

Annex

European Year of action to combat violence against women (Rule 48)

4/98

Written declaration on designating 1999 as the European Year of action to combat violence against women

The European Parliament,- having regard to its resolution of 16 September 1997 on the need to establish a European Union-wide campaign for zero tolerance of violence against women ((OJ C 304, 6.10.1997, p. 55.)),

A. whereas all forms of gender-based violence falling within the scope of the definition contained in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women should be regarded as criminal offences,

B. whereas the statistics that do exist show that violence is endemic in our societies and affects women on a daily basis,

C. whereas violence against women in the home and in our society directly and indirectly affects children and can often create a cycle of violence and abuse which is perpetuated through succeeding generations,

1. Calls on the Commission to launch a European Union-wide campaign for zero tolerance of violence against women;

2. Asks the Commission to propose to the Council that 1999 be designated the European Year of action to combat violence against women and that the Council adopt a resolution to that effect before 30 June 1998;

3. Instructs its President to forward this declaration to the Council and Commission.

The following Members signed:

Adam, Aelvoet, Ahern, Ahlqvist, Alavanos, Anastasopoulos, d'Ancona, Andersson, André-Léonard, Andrews, Aparicio Sánchez, Apolinário, Augias, Avgerinos, Baldarelli, Baldi, Balfe, Banotti, Barón Crespo, Barros Moura, Barton, Barzanti, Bennasar Tous, Berend, Berès, Berger, Bertens, Bertinotti, Billingham, van Bladel, Blak, Bloch von Blottnitz, Bösch, Bontempi, Boogerd-Quaak, Botz, Bowe, Breyer, Brinkhorst, Cabezón Alonso, Caligaris, Campos, Carlotti, Carnero González, Carniti, Cars, Castagnède, Castellina, Castricum, Caudron,, Cellai, Coates, Cohn-Bendit, Colajanni, Colino Salamanca, K. Collins, Colom I Naval, Corbett, Correia, Corrie, Cot, Cottigny, Cox, Crampton, Crawley, Cunningham, Cushnahan, Darras, Daskalaki, David, De Clercq, De Coene, De Giovanni, Dell'Alba, De Luca, Denys, Desama, de Vries, Díez de Rivera Icaza, van Dijk, Dimitrakopoulos, Donnelly A., Duhamel, Dührkop Dührkop, Dury, Eisma, Elchlepp, Elliott, Elmalan, Ephremidis, Eriksson, Ettl, Evans, Ewing, Fabra Vallés, Falconer, Fantuzzi, Fassa, Fayot, Ferrer, Flemming, Florio, Fontaine, Ford, Friedrich, Frischenschlager, Frutos Gama, Funk, Gahrton, Gallagher, García Arias, García-Margallo y Marfil, Garot, Gebhardt, Ghilardotti, Glante, Glase, Görlach, Gollnisch, Gomolka, González Álvarez, Graefe zu Baringdorf, Graenitz, Green, Gröner, Grossetête, Günther, Hager, Hallam, Happart, Hardstaff, Harrison, Haug, Hautala, Hawlicek, Heinisch, Hendrick, Hindley, Hoff, Holm, Howitt, Hughes, Hume, Imaz san Miguel, Imbeni, Izquierdo Collado, Izquierdo Rojo, Janssen van Raay, Jensen K., Jöns, Junker, Kaklamanis, Karamanou, Katiforis, Kellett-Bowman, Keppelhoff-Wiechert, Kerr, Kestelijn-Sierens, Killilea, Kindermann, Kinnock, Klaß, Koch, Kokkola, Konrad, Krarup, Krehl, Kreissl-Dörfler, Kuckelkorn, Kuhn, Kuhne, Lage, Laignel, Lambraki, Lange, Langen, Langenhagen, Lannoye, Larive, Lenz, Le Pen, Leperre-Verrier, Le Rachinel, Liese, Lindeperg, Lindholm, Lindqvist, Linkohr, Lööw, Lomas, Lucas Pires, Lüttge, Lulling, Macartney, McCarthy, McGowan, McKenna, McMahon, McNally, Maij-Weggen, Malone, Manisco, Mann E., Mann T., Marinho, Marinucci, Martens, Martin D., Medina Ortega, Megahy, Metten, Miller, Miranda, Miranda de Lage, Monfils, Moniz, Morán López, Morgan, Morris, Mouskouri, Müller, Murphy, Mutin, Myller, Napoletano, Needle, Nencini, Newens, Newman, Novo, Oddy, Ojala, Oomen-Ruijten, Oostlander, Orlando, Paasilinna, Paasio, Pack, Pailler, Panagopoulos, Papakyriazis, Pérez Royo, Perry, Peter, Pettinari, Pex, Piecyk, Pimenta, Plooij-van Gorsel, Poisson, Pollack, Pons Grau, Pronk, Puerta, van Putten, Querbes, Rack, Randzio-Plath, Rapkay, Raschhofer, Rauti, Read, Reding, Rehder, Ribeiro, Ripa di Meana, Robles Piquer, Rosado Fernandes, Roth-Behrendt, Rothe, Rothley, Roubatis, Rübig, Ruffolo, Ryynänen, Sainjon, Sakellariou, Samland, Sanz Fernández, Sauquillo Pérez del Arco, Schäfer, Schiedermeier, Schlechter, Schleicher, Schmid, Schmidbauer, Schnellhardt, Schörling, Schröder, Schroedter, Schulz, Schwaiger, Seal, Seillier, Seppänen, Sierra González, Simpson, Sindal, Sisó Cruellas, Sjöstedt, Skinner, Smith, Sonneveld, Sornosa Martínez, Spaak, Speciale, Spiers, Stenmarck, Swoboda, Tannert, Tappin, Tatarella, Telkämper, Terrón I Cusí, Teverson, Theonas, Theorin, Thomas, Tillich, Titley, Todini, Tomlinson, Tongue, Torres Marques, Trakatellis, Truscott, Tsatsos, Ullmann, Valdivielso de Cué, Vallvé, Van Lancker, Vaz da Silva, Vecchi, W. van Velzen, Verde i Aldea, Vinci, Virgin, Waddington, Walter, Watts, Weiler, Wemheuer, White, Whitehead, Wibe, Willockx, Wilson, Wolf, Wynn, Zimmermann.