Debate: Industrial Emissions Directive - Industrial Emissions Portal - Deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure - Sustainable maritime fuels  - Energy efficiency
Date: MONDAY, 10 JULY 2023
Speaker: Adina-Ioana Vălean
Language: EN

Let me start with the two proposals on industrial emissions. I want to thank the rapporteur Mr Kanev, the ENVI Chair Mr Canfin and all the shadow rapporteurs for the work on this file. The Commission supports the ENVI report for many core elements of our proposal, notably ensuring more consistent emissions limits across the EU, promoting resource efficiency, facilitating public access to information, and making the legislation more forward—looking with better links to innovation. The European Parliament has been discussing the widening of the scope to cover more livestock farming activities. The Commission would like to stress that this widened scope would only concern the largest livestock farms. This would help relieve the pressure on the smallest farms in meeting the overall climate adjustment efforts required in the agricultural sector. Turning to the two transport files, I welcome the compromise text on the new Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation and the FuelEU Maritime Regulation. On both files we have an ambitious and a balanced result. I would like to thank the rapporteur Mr Warborn and the former rapporteur Mr Ertug, as well as the shadow rapporteurs for their excellent work and the good cooperation with the Czech and Swedish presidencies and as well with the Commission. The AFI Regulation will ensure a market—driven rollout of sufficient and user—friendly alternative fuels infrastructure everywhere in the EU. We also have for the first time mandatory deployment targets for key recharging and refuelling infrastructure, and these include electric recharging infrastructure for light and heavy—duty vehicles on the road, hydrogen refuelling infrastructure for road vehicles, onshore power supply in TEN—T ports in alignment with FuelEU Maritime, and electricity supply to stationary aircraft in all TEN—T airports. As you know, we would have appreciated higher targets for heavy—duty vehicle recharging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. But the end result is very good considering the starting position of the Member States. The FuelEU Maritime Regulation will play a crucial role in decarbonising the maritime sector. Importantly, FuelEU Maritime remains an incentive and goal—based regulation. It keeps the door open to new technologies and allows technology suppliers to develop solutions, meeting the needs of different shipping segments. It also recognises the role e—fuels will play in the future and provides incentives to support their cost—competitiveness and uptake. FuelEU Maritime also provides the inspiration for regulating shipping emissions globally. Following the milestone decision at the 80th meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee which concluded just last week, a global fuel standard modelled on our European approach should be adopted by 2025 as one of mid—term measures to decarbonise shipping by mid—century. The Commission also welcomes the agreement reached on the proposal for the recast of the Energy Efficiency Directive. We convey our warmest thanks to the rapporteur Mr Fuglsang and the shadow rapporteurs for their efforts in reaching this result. This is a major piece of the EU’s energy policy. By boosting energy efficiency, the EED recast provides the EU with a solid framework to reach our climate goals and to increase our energy independence. We welcome the agreement on an ambitious energy efficiency target of 11.7% covered by a strong governance mechanism and an annual energy savings obligation target of 1.49%, as well as the target for energy reduction in the public sector of 1.9%. In conclusion, I would like to thank you again for the constructive work on these five proposals, all very relevant to implement the European Green Deal.