European Climate Change Programme

Introduction

The European Commission has taken many climate-related initiatives since 1991, when it issued the first Community strategy to limit carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and improve energy efficiency. These include: a directive to promote electricity from renewable energy, voluntary commitments by car makers to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% and proposals on the taxation of energy products.

 

However, it is clear that action by both Member States and the European Community needs to be reinforced if the EU is to succeed in cutting its greenhouse gas emissions to 8% below 1990 levels by 2008-2012, as required by the Kyoto protocol. The EU Council of Environment Ministers acknowledged the importance of taking further steps at Community level by asking the Commission to put forward a list of priority actions and policy measures.

The Commission responded in June 2000 by launching the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP). The goal of the ECCP is to identify and develop all the necessary elements of an EU strategy to implement the Kyoto Protocol. The development of the first ECCP involved all the relevant groups of stakeholders working together, including representatives from the Commission’s different departments (DGs), the Member States, industry and environmental groups.

 

The second European Climate Change Programme (ECCP II) was launched in October 2005.

• The European Climate Change Programme (Brochure)

• Reducing emissions from the energy and transport sectors (Brochure)

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First European Climate Change Programme

First Phase of the European Climate Change Programme (2000-2001)

The ECCP's initial work to develop further policies and measures focused on the energy, transport and industry sectors. Therefore, a number of working groups were set up to consider and give recommendations on the most important options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions cost-effectively. The initial working groups, set up in summer 2000, were:

Each of these working groups developed and reported to the European Commission on the potential initiatives it had considered for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, in June 2001, the Commission published an ECCP Report on the findings of the working groups. The report identified 42 possible measures, which could lead to some 664-765 MtCO₂ equivalent emissions reductions that could be achieved against a cost lower than 20€/tonne CO2eq. This is about double the emissions reduction required for the EU in the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol with respect to 1990. The identified emission reduction potentials are estimates and cannot always be relied on, as the real gains depend on the concrete implementation and the interplay of the various measures.

 

Following on from the ECCP Report, in October 2001, the Commission brought forward a package of three broad measures to tackle climate change:

 

An Action Plan for the ECCP

Firstly, the Action Plan took the form of a Communication from the Commission (COM(2001)580) on the implementation of the first phase of the ECCP, outlining the priority actions the Commission has set itself to implement in 2002 and 2003. These priority actions represent an emission reduction potential of 122-178 Mt Co2eq. In addition, the Communication sets out the basis for additional analysis, which the Commission is planning to undertake in other areas, such as CO₂ sequestration (sinks) in agricultural soils and forests.

 

Proposal for ratification of the Kyoto Protocol

Secondly, at the same time, the Commission put forward a proposal for a Council decision on the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. In April 2002, the Council issued a Decision which paved the way for the European Community and its member states to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on 31 May 2002.

 

Proposals for Emissions Trading

Thirdly, the Commission proposed a Directive on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading to enable certain businesses and industries to trade their allocations for CO₂ emissions. The trading system is expected to start in 2005 and should ensure that the private sector finds the most cost-effective ways to reduce its CO₂ emissions.

Proposal for regulating certain fluorinated gases

       

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Second Phase of the European Climate Change Programme (2002-2003)

The first task of the second phase of the ECCP is to facilitate and support the actual implementation of the priorities identified in the first phase. The ECCP Steering Committee is following up on progress made so far through the ECCP. Some of the measures identified in the Communication, as well as others outlined in the ECCP report, have already been completed by the Commission, for example:

In addition, a number of working groups are in the process of investigating additional measures :

A number of specific actions, identified under the first phase of the ECCP, that needed further study in terms of emission reduction potential and cost-effectiveness, are also being developed (e.g. the E2MAS energy audit and management scheme and the Motor Challenge Initiative). With regard to renewables, the second phase of the ECCP is focusing on the promotion of renewables in heating applications ("RES-H"). The Commission is analyzing the potential for increased uptake and the ways in which both existing (such as the Directive on energy performance of buildings or the proposed CHP Directive) and new measures can contribute to the promotion of RES-H.

 

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Documentation and Links

Regulating fluorinated gases in the EU

Second ECCP Progress Report - Can we meet our Kyoto targets?

• Press release

• Executive summary (pdf ~120K)

• Full report (pdf ~600K)

Final report on Sinks – Sub-Group on Agricultural Soils

Final report on Forest-Related Sinks