WRITTEN QUESTION E-2853/02

by Antonios Trakatellis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(10 October 2002)

Subject: Climate change implementation of the Kyoto Protocol in Greece

The adoption of the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change(1) commits the EU to reducing, in the period 2008-2012, the sum total of man-made emissions of gases which contribute to the greenhouse effect to 1990 levels and to make tangible progress towards this target by 2005.

1. What is the level of gas emissions in each Member State in relation to the Kyoto Protocol targets? What changes were observed in the period 1990-1999 in relation to the 2008-2012 targets and in accordance with the EU's burden-sharing mechanism?

2. By what percentage do gas emissions in Greece exceed that country's allocated quota and its commitments in quantitative terms to restrict and reduce emissions pursuant to the Kyoto Protocol (if possible, could the Commission provide an analytical table for each of the six gases separately both in relation to 1990 and the type of source)?

3. What measures has Greece taken pursuant to Article 2 of Council Decision 1999/296/EC(2) concerning an emission monitoring mechanism (national programme) and what is the Commission's evaluation thereof in terms of Article 5 of the above decision, i.e. whether they are sufficient to ensure fulfilment of the commitments that Greece has undertaken?

(1) OJ L 130, 15.5.2002, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 117, 5.5.1999, p. 35.

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(18 November 2002)

The Commission delivered its second progress report to the Parliament and the Council under Council Decision 93/389/EEC of 24 June 1993 for a monitoring mechanism of Community CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions(1) (as amended by Council Decision 1999/296/EC of 26 April 1999(2)). This report assesses the actual and projected progress of Member States and the Community towards fulfilling their greenhouse gas (GHG) emission commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, and is available at http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/docum/0708_report_en.pdf.

In table 5.2.2 (which is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's secretariat) of this report on greenhouse gas emissions and Kyoto Protocol targets for 2008-2012, the first and second columns show the level of greenhouse gas emissions in each Member State in 1990 and 1999. The fourth column shows the change in greenhouse gas emissions in each Member State between 1990 and 1999. The fifth column shows the change in greenhouse gas emissions in each Member State required by the Kyoto Protocol by 2008-2012 according to each Member States' burden-sharing target.

The sixth column shows the distance to target indicator for Member States. The distance-to-target indicator is a measure for the deviation of actual emissions in 1999 from a linear target path to the target. The intention has been to perform a consistent and comparable assessment of the contribution of each Member State towards meeting the greenhouse gas targets of the Community as a whole. The analysis does not aim to evaluate compliance of Member States with their targets, but rather their contribution to the Community greenhouse gas emissions in 1999. The progress evaluation is carried out by comparing 1990-1999 greenhouse gas emission data of the Community and its Member States with two (hypothetical) linear target paths: (a) the UNFCCC target path for 2000; and (b) the Kyoto target path for 2008-2012. By calculating the deviations from these target paths in 1999, a measure of actual progress of the Community and its Member States in 1999 is established.

An analytical table for each of the six gases in each Member State in relation to 1990 is included in the progress report as table 5.2.1 and is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's secretariat.

These figures show the variations of greenhouse gas emissions in these six gases between 1990-1999, and Greece's figures are in the eighth column.

The measures that Greece has taken in its national programme are detailed in an Annex to the Commission progress report under Council Decision 93/389/EEC(3).

Table 5.2.5 in the main body of the report to the Parliament and the Council shows the Commission's evaluation of Member States, by comparing the greenhouse gas emissions of Member States with their linear target paths for 2008-2012. This table, which is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's secretariat, shows Greece to be above its linear Kyoto target path by 5,7 index points.

The Commission will give its third progress report to the Parliament and the Council under Council Decision 93/389/EEC (as amended by Decision 1999/296/EC) for a monitoring mechanism of Community CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions later this year.

(1) OJ L 167, 9.7.1993.

(2) COM(2001) 708 final.

(3) COM(2001) 708 final.