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
Political group: PPE
Country: Netherlands
Language: EN

For the EPP, that means three things. First of all, green does not come out of the blue. Today we discuss hundreds, even thousands, of pages of legislation and amendments, and I would like to thank all those who have contributed constructively to getting us this far. But let me be clear: only putting objectives and percentages and standards and definition into these pieces of legislation will not in itself be enough to make change happen. We need companies, investors, industries who are willing to invest, and for that they need a Green Deal with a business case. Investments require liquidity, and the current economic situation is not making things easier.  This is why the EPP believes we should not hit our industries and companies with a one—off rebasing at the start of the new ETS. We need to be more gradual in our approach, give them breathing space in these challenging times while still demanding that they reach the reduction targets set by the Commission – and even more.  We also need hardware to turn the paper targets that we vote today into hands—on reality: energy interconnectors; cables to link up offshore renewables; grid capacity; the adaptation of natural gas infrastructure into green hydrogen infrastructure, etc. En zelfs in de provincie Groningen, waar er op zee al genoeg wind voorhanden is en gasinfrastructuur al klaarligt en alleen maar aangepast hoeft te worden, zelfs daar blijkt dat zo makkelijk nog niet. Vele projecten moeten vergund worden en procedures zijn te lang en te complex.  De EVP is blij met de aandacht van de Commissie voor kortere procedures in REPowerEU. Maar we verwachten meer. De Commissie moet met lidstaten aan de slag om deze kortere procedures daadwerkelijk te realiseren. Wij wensen hier een resultaatsverplichting, geen inspanningsverplichting, mijnheer Timmermans. Secondly, for the EPP the Green Deal needs to be made in Europe. This climate package will only succeed if it leads to innovation, opportunities and jobs in Europe. This is why we need a level playing field for our companies and industries. This is also why the EPP believes that we should not do away with our free allowances – which, let’s be fair, is currently the only instrument we have against carbon leakage – until we know that CBAM works in praxis.  Thirdly, you can’t do green when you are in the red. These laws should not be a plaything for the green elites, and we should avoid putting the heaviest burden on those who can least afford it – and yes, Mr Timmermans, that is why we need a social climate fund to go hand in hand with the new ETS. This might be the moment for me to remind you that it was your political family taking the lead in actually curtailing this ETS too, and making the social climate fund smaller as a result.  I would call on colleagues to stick to the compromise that was reached, even though it might not be beautiful. But I hear the temptation among some to say ‘okay, let’s then have a smaller ETS – maybe even smaller than the one currently in the compromise’ and ‘let’s have a huge social climate fund without worrying about where the funding is going to come from’.  That would be wrong. Let’s stick to the compromise, though it might not be beautiful, and then we negotiate. The EPP stands ready to do that work in a credible way.