WRITTEN QUESTION P-1535/03 by Carlos Westendorp y Cabeza (PSE) to the Commission. System for the trading of greenhouse gas emission allowances.
Date: 2003-04-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: economic consequence, industrial restructuring, iron and steel industry, reduction of gas emissions, tradeable emission permit

6.2.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 33 E/131

The introduction of such technologies may have both positive and negative policy implications. For
example, systems that allow the identification of computers may facilitate the more effective roll-out of
Digital Rights Management systems or help combat piracy and cybercrime or increase the level of
information security, but may also be infringing privacy rights or raising competition issues.

The Commission is presently looking at the data protection implications of some of these technologies
together with the Article 29 Working Party and it is expected that some documents regarding these matters
will be issued in the second half of 2003.

The Commission is active in supporting the development of so-called Privacy Enhancing Technologies
(PETs), through several activities, including among others those of the Joint Research Centre and the IST
Programme. The incorporation of PETs into privacy strategies receives its encouragement from Articles 6
and 17 of the above-mentioned Data Protection Directive, which require data controllers to minimise the
data collection and to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal
data, specially in network transmissions. The importance of privacy enhancing technologies has also been
emphasised by the Member of the Commission responsible for the Internal Market as one of the messages
arising from the international conference on the implementation of the Data Protection Directive held last
autumn 2002 in Brussels.

The Commission favours a balanced and proportionate approach based upon the problems that the
technologies aim to solve, the measures they use to achieve that objective and the impact that these
measures have on users, industry and society as a whole.

The potential impact of any new developing technologies on European small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs) or in the state of competition in the Single Market is and will be closely scrutinised by the
competent Commission services. The Commission will decide on any measures to be taken after this
scrutiny is completed.

(1) OJ L 281, 23.11.1995.

(2004/C 33 E/130)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1535/03

by Carlos Westendorp y Cabeza (PSE) to the Commission

(30 April 2003)

Subject: System for the trading of greenhouse gas emission allowances

The proposal for a directive establishing a system for the trading of greenhouse gas allowances could, on
entry into force of the directive, have very worrying consequences for some industries owing to the fact
that no account has been taken of very important factors such as:

1.

2.

3.

4.

the existence of companies with production units in several different European countries which could
adopt different and even contradictory provisions;

the indirect emissions that arise outside a company’s facilities but originate from energy sources used
in those facilities (e.g. blast furnace gases);

the distortions of competition that will arise between industries and between countries;

the transfer of allowances corresponding to transfers of capacities resulting from the closure of plants
belonging to the same group.

In the case of the iron and steel industry in particular, this limits very seriously the scope that companies
have for adapting to the directive, owing to specific characteristics of the sector such as the inability to
pass on increases in costs (very limited number of customers and raw materials suppliers), the fact there
are only two ways to produce steel (blast furnaces and electric furnaces, both of which are directly affected
by the directive) and the recycling of blast furnace gases (which reduces CO2 emissions and generates
energy without, paradoxically, the corresponding allowances being granted to the industry, but to the
energy companies instead).

Will the Commission bear these points in mind in order to avoid jeopardising the restructuring of a sector
which is at last managing to consolidate at Community level?

C 33 E/132

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.2.2004

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(16 June 2003)

The Commission has considered the points raised very carefully when it prepared its proposal to establish
a Community-wide scheme for greenhouse gas emissions allowance trading.

Generally, the Commission considers it important to distinguish carefully between targets and instruments.
Emission allowance trading is the instrument used to contribute to the implementation of the targets
accepted by the Community and its Member States in the context of the Kyoto Protocol. The general
objective of the proposed Directive is to create a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading
within the Community by establishing a Community framework and ensuring a Community-wide market
for emission allowances. Such an instrument is a cornerstone in the Commission’s strategy for reaching the
Kyoto target in the most cost-effective way. Compared to other instruments, emissions trading is likely to
reduce the cost of emission reductions by ensuring that these reductions are made where they are least
costly.

Emissions trading as a Community instrument will establish a single market and guarantee a common
price for allowances for all participating companies. This will mitigate any potential distortions.

The Community instrument furthermore enables the transfer of allowances within the internal market and
does therefore provide to accompany the transfer of production capacities with a corresponding transfer of
allowances both within and across Member State borders during a trading period. To what extent a
company would temporarily benefit from the closure of an installation depends on the transposition of the
Directive into Member State law.

The Directive makes the operator of an installation only accountable for direct emissions released on-site.
Activities of operators to indirectly reduce greenhouse gas emissions do not fall under the scope of the
Directive.

(2004/C 33 E/131)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1554/03

by Jean Lambert (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

Subject: Afghanistan Coordination Return Group

(2 May 2003)

This question is with reference to the meeting of the Afghanistan Coordination Return Group (ACRG)
which is taking place on 30 April.

In light of the fact that the President of the UK Afghan Association is no longer invited to take part, please
could the Commission inform us:

(cid:1) Which organisations are the Commission and Council consulting on the issue?

(cid:1) How many Afghans or Afghan organisations themselves are directly involved in Commission and

Council discussions on the issue, as opposed to intermediaries?

(cid:1) Does the Commission envisage any opportunities for Afghan associations (other than any already

consulted) to be able to input to the discussion?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(4 June 2003)

The meeting of the Afghanistan Co-ordination Return Group (ACRG) to which the Honourable Member
refers did take place on 30 April 2003 with the participation of those Member States who are particularly
concerned with the issue of return of Afghan nationals. Several International Organisations and non-
governmental organisations (NGO’s) who are especially involved with return programs, human rights
monitoring, and refugee protection issues including UNHCR, Amnesty International, representatives of the
European Council of Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM)