1999/24/EC: Council Decision of 14 December 1998 adopting a multiannual programme of technological actions promoting the clean and efficient use of solid fuels (1998 to 2002)
Date: 1998-12-14
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU programme, clean technology, energy technology, fuel

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COUNCIL DECISION

of 14 December 1998

adopting a multiannual programme of technological actions promoting the
clean and efficient use of solid fuels (1998 to 2002)

(1999/24/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, and in particular Article 235 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parlia-
ment (1),

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee (2),

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the
Regions (3),

(1) Whereas solid fuels are available in the Community
and the ready, abundant, diverse sources of hard
coal traded worldwide ensure that such fuels are
and will remain a low-cost energy source;

(2) Whereas the promotion of clean and efficient tech-
nologies for solid fuels contributes to the diversifi-
cation of primary energy resources and to the
balance of Community energy policy objectives;

(3) Whereas solid fuels will be increasingly utilised
both in developed and emerging areas of the world,
thereby contributing to emissions of pollutants and
CO2; whereas every effort should be made to
ameliorate such emissions by the promotion of
clean and efficient technologies and the application
of best available technologies (BAT) to existing and
new plant using solid fuels;

(4) Whereas the manufacture and supply of equipment
for the clean utilisation of coal, lignite and other
forms of solid fuels, for use both within and outside
the Community, can contribute to the maintenance
of employment;

(5) Whereas action by the Community relating to the
environment should improve the quality of the
environment and ensure a prudent and rational
utilisation of natural resources, objectives which are
furthered by the implementation of clean coal
technologies;

(6) Whereas the promotion of more efficient clean
solid fuel
technologies can make a significant
contribution to the reduction of polluting emis-

(1) OJ C 328, 26. 10. 1998.
(2) OJ C 214, 10. 7. 1998, p. 44.
(3) OJ C 315, 13. 10. 1998, p. 1.

sions arising from the use of
fuels at
Community level; whereas use of cleaner technolo-
gies
the
of
the
Community strategy to combat acidification;

contributes

objectives

fossil

to

(7) Whereas the promotion of more efficient clean
solid fuel technologies will contribute to the reduc-
tion of greenhouse gases and the danger of global
climate change; whereas wide-ranging cooperation
is therefore desirable in order to obtain significant
results;

(8) Whereas it is desirable that promotion of clean
solid fuel technologies should be applied both to
domestic and small-scale commercial and indus-
trial boilers as well as large electrical power genera-
tion plants;

(9) Whereas on 13 December 1995 the Commission
adopted a White Paper entitled ‘An energy policy
for the European Union', defining the main lines
of new Community energy policy objectives for
coherence and convergence of the policies of the
Member States; whereas this White Paper states
that the contribution of new clean solid fuel tech-
nologies can enhance the use of a wide variety of
fuels, so that they can continue to play a significant
part in the overall energy balance sheet but with an
improved environmental image;

(10) Whereas the promotion and exploitation of clean
solid fuel technologies offers economic advantages
in terms of employment opportunities with com-
panies in the Community operating on a world-
wide basis;

(11) Whereas, in order to sustain a cleaner environment,
advanced clean solid fuel technologies should be
developed to achieve improved BAT at costs which
can be afforded;

(12) Whereas certain countries which are expected to
become members of the European Union in the
coming years are very strongly dependent on the
production and use of solid fuels to meet their
energy requirements; whereas those countries will
need to modernise and improve their energy tech-
nologies in order to comply with Community legis-
lation;

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(13) Whereas a number of Member States have their

own clean solid fuel technology programmes;

and Steel Community should be continued in an
appropriate form after the expiry of that Treaty in
2002;

(14) Whereas there should be an opportunity for those
programmes to be coordinated with each other and
with the relevant Community programmes;

(22) Whereas there is a need to transfer to industry the
results of the research funded under the European
Coal and Steel Community;

(15) Whereas it is also important to promote the uptake
of technologies developed with financing from the
specific research and technical development non-
nuclear energy programme;

(23) Whereas the measures to foster industrial strategic
cooperation should be designed to encourage
industry to exchange experiences on, for example,
how environmental standards are met;

(16) Whereas provision should therefore be made
within the multiannual framework programme for
actions in the energy sector (1998 to 2002) adopted
by Decision 1999/21/EC, Euratom (1) for a specific
programme for the promotion of clean solid fuel
technologies;

(17) Whereas, in order to ensure that Community aid is
used efficiently and duplication of work avoided,
the Commission will ensure that projects are
subject to thorough prior appraisal; whereas it will
systematically monitor and evaluate the progress
and results of supported projects;

(18) Whereas actions on solid fuels may cover projects
dealing with hard coal,
lignite, peat, ormulsion,
oilshale and the heavy fraction of petroleum prod-
ucts; whereas,
in implementing such projects,
account can also be taken of the application of
clean combustion technologies to biomass and
clean sorted combustible waste fractions when
mixed with solid fuels;

(19) Whereas the European Parliament and Community
in
industry have indicated their keen interest
pursuing a policy of developing clean coal techno-
logies for use in the Community and elsewhere in
the world;

(20) Whereas it is politically and economically desirable
to open the programme to the associated Central
and East European countries, in accordance with
the conclusions of
the Copenhagen European
Council of 21 to 22 June 1993 and as outlined in
the Commission communication on that subject in
May 1994; whereas it should also be open to
Cyprus;

(21) Whereas the Amsterdam European Council of 16
and 17 June 1997 highlighted the importance of
solid fuel research and development by its request
that the research in that field currently supported
under the Treaty establishing the European Coal

(24) Whereas the promotion, demonstration and exploi-
tation of clean solid fuel technologies throughout
the Community are
likely to strengthen its
economic and social cohesion, as called for by
Article 130a of the Treaty;

(25) Whereas a financial reference amount within the
meaning of point 2 of the Declaration by the Euro-
pean Parliament, the Council and the Commission
of 6 March 1995 (2), is included in this Decision for
this programme, without
the entire duration of
thereby affecting the powers of
the budgetary
authority as they are defined by the Treaty; whereas
account should be taken of the fact that a new
financial perspective will be negotiated during the
course of this programme;

(26) Whereas the Treaty does not provide powers for
the adoption of this Decision, other than those in
Article 235 thereof,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

1. Within the multiannual framework programme for
actions in the energy sector, a specific programme for the
promotion of clean solid fuel technologies, hereinafter
referred to as the ‘Carnot' programme, shall be imple-
mented by the Community for the period 1998 to 2002.

2.
In addition to the priority objectives listed in Article
1(2) of Decision 1999/21/EC, Euratom, the objectives of
the Carnot programme shall be to:

— promote the use of clean and efficient technologies to
plants using solid fuels in order to limit emissions,
including carbon dioxide emissions, from such use,

— encourage the development of advanced clean solid
fuel technologies in order to achieve improved BAT at
affordable cost.

(1) See page 16 of this Official Journal.

(2) OJ C 102, 4. 4. 1996, p. 4.

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Article 2

The financial reference amount for the implementation of
the Carnot programme shall be ECU 3 million. Of this
amount, ECU 1,2 million is for the period 1998 to 1999.

The financial reference amount for the period 2000 to
2002 shall be reviewed if the amount of ECU 1,8 million
is not consistent with the financial perspective for that
period.

The annual appropriations shall be authorised by the
budgetary authority within the limits of
the financial
perspective.

Article 3

Two categories of actions on clean solid fuel technologies
shall be financed under the Carnot programme, namely:
(a) measures to foster cooperation aimed at promoting
information between
better market and technical
national, Community and international
activities
through the development of appropriate means for
exchanging information, helping to remove barriers
and evaluating the impact of
the various actions
provided for in this Article;

(b) measures to foster industrial strategic cooperation,
such as business workshops and seminars, industrial
on-site visits, studies, evaluations and concertation
groupings, aimed at promoting the industrial exploita-
tion of clean technologies for energy purposes, for
example combined heat and power production. This
will include the promotion of exports of European
clean solid fuel technology.

Article 4

The level of funding for the measures referred to in
Article 3(a) shall be between 50 and 100 % of their total
cost.

The level of funding for the measures referred to in
Article 3(b) shall be between 30 and 50 % of their total
cost.

The balance of the funding of the actions referred to in
Article 3 may be made up from either public or private
sources or from a combination of the two.

Article 5

The Commission shall define guidelines for the measures
referred to in Article 3 each year.

Proposals for measures referred to in Article 3 and the list
them shall be
of bodies which are to implement
submitted annually to the Commission, which shall

decide on the level and conditions of Community
funding. The Commission shall sign contracts relating to
the said measures with those bodies.

The committee provided for in Article 7 shall assist the
Commission in the definition of these guidelines and the
decisions on funding.

Article 6

The Commission shall be responsible for the imple-
mentation of the Carnot programme.

For the implementation of the actions referred to in
Article 3, the Commission shall apply the procedure laid
down in Article 7.

Article 7

The Commission shall be assisted, for the purposes of
implementing the Carnot programme, by the committee
referred to in Article 4 of Decision 1999/21/EC, Euratom.

Article 8

Examination and internal and external assessment of the
implementation of the Carnot programme shall be carried
out in accordance with the provisions in Article 5 of
Decision 1999/21/EC, Euratom.

Article 9

The Carnot programme shall be open to associated
Central and East European countries in accordance with
the conditions, including financial provisions, laid down
in the additional protocols to the Association Agreements
or in the Association Agreements themselves relating to
participation in Community programmes. The Carnot
programme shall also be open to Cyprus on the basis of
additional appropriations, under the same rules as those
applied to the EFTA/EEA countries, in accordance with
procedures to be agreed with that country.

Article 10

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 14 December 1998.

For the Council

The President

W. MOLTERER