On Thursday December 8, WISE organized the third Carbon Pricing HUB event. Live from the Maastricht University Campus in Brussels, we spoke with MEP Peter Liese and the Czech Energy and Climate Attaché Eva Plocek Kubesova about the negotiations currently taking place in Brussels on the revision of the emissions trading system ETS. We created a dialogue between EU policymakers and civil society organizations that would take stock of the progress made so far, and discuss remaining priorities to improve the EU ETS and make it fit for purpose.
By the end of the month, the European Parliament, the Commission and the European Council must have agreed on the various revision plans of the current ETS system, and the introduction of a new ETS2 for road transport and buildings. Additional negotiations are planned to reach an agreement but there are still bottlenecks on which the various EU institutions do not seem to agree.
Ultimately, of course, it is about Europe reducing emissions enough to meet climate targets and prevent catastrophic climate change. But will they succeed, or will they make too many compromises during the negotiation process? From CAN Europe, WWF EU, The Green Tank and the Center for Transport and Environment, 4 speakers gave their views on the desired reforms of the ETS and discussed their "Christmas Wish List" with the politicians present.
It was an interesting conversation about, among other things, speeding up the phasing out of free allowanced, the spending of ETS revenues, and the need to ban spendings on fossil fuels through the different climate funding schemes. Speakers also emphasized the need to reach an agreement on ETS 2 before the new year, when the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union will come to an end.
The Carbon Pricing Hub event is organised within the Life ETX project, an initiative of a consortium of 10 European NGOs, funded by the European LIFE Program and the European Climate Foundation. The project seeks to make the EU ETS, one of the EU’s main tools for reducing greenhouse gas emission, work for citizens and the climate.