Debate: Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System - Social Climate Fund - Carbon border adjustment mechanism - Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System for aviation - Notification under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation
Date: TUESDAY, 7 JUNE 2022
Speaker: Esther de Lange
Country: Netherlands
Language: EN

And, Madam President, I have to say that in all my years in the European Parliament, this was one of the most exotic ones, in a sense that we had one of the weirdest majorities possible on this dossier, for example, the idea to really focus the spending more on investment measures rather than general income support. This was something that was supported in particular by the EPP, the Greens and ID, and not the parties in between. So in the beginning we had some challenges to actually reach an agreement, but I think we did. We did in the end also because RENEW joined the effort, S&D joined the effort to make sure that we do several things. We target spending as much as we can on these real investment measures. If I help you pay your bill, I help you once. If I help you to insulate your house, I help you for the longer term. So Parliament was very keen to make sure that most of the spending goes towards these more structural investment measures. Then we were also keen – I know that the distribution of funds is already taking into account the fact that some Member States will need more support from the social climate fund than others – but we were very keen to increase this a bit to make sure that the poorest Member States required slightly less national co-financing, and in particular when it comes to these structural investment measures. One thing that we didn’t manage to resolve in our very good cooperation at shadows level was the issue of small and medium enterprises. And for the EPP, it is very clear that if you start ETS 2 with commercial companies only, you will also have to do something for those commercial companies. And that means in particular SMEs, and in particular SMEs that are at risk of carbon leakage. So that will be the only amendment we would put forward on behalf of the of the EPP. But I think here –  and I have been very strict, I think with Mr Timmermans, saying that it was your group in the lead to actually make ETS 2 smaller and it was your group therefore who landed us with a smaller social climate fund. But in the end we all signed up or at least the constructive parties signed up to this deal. So to start ETS 2 with commercial companies only and leave the households for later and therefore have a slightly smaller social climate fund, but one where we found additional money by leaving some allowances on the side of the social climate fund rather than transferring them to the innovation fund. And I think we should now stand by this deal because what is on the table, I say to the Commission, really is either the compromise that we reach or even less. I am afraid that that is the choice that we will have tomorrow when we vote. I think we should stick by the compromise that we have and then negotiate on that basis. We stand ready to do that. And again, thanks to all the shadows who helped us along.