Poles, Czechs to appeal EU ruling cutting carbon emissions

Poles, Czechs to appeal EU ruling cutting carbon emissions

26 May 2007, 18:02 CET

http://www.eubusiness.com/news_live/1180123201.49

(WARSAW) - Poland and the Czech Republic said Friday they would appeal

an EU decision sharply cutting their carbon dioxide emission quotas

for 2008-2012 for industries with high energy consumption.

The two former members of the Soviet bloc, now both in the EU, decided

to follow their fellow EU member Slovakia, which announced in February

it would appeal to the European Court of Justice against the ruling.

Slovakia lodged a complaint against a European Commission decision to

cut its emissions allocation of carbon dioxide by a quarter between

2008 and 2012.

The commission is charged with approving national governments' bids

for carbon dioxide allocations as part of the EU's move to curb

emissions of one of the main gases held responsible for global climate

change.

In negotiations with the commission, Poland had sought an emission

ceiling of 284.6 million tonnes but the commission cut this back by

26.7 percent to 208.5 million tonnes.

The Czech allocation was reduced by 14.8 percent to 86.8 million

tonnes.

The allocations affect industries such as metallurgy, oil refining and

power stations which have a high energy consumption and are

responsible for nearly half of EU carbon dioxide emissions.

Polish Environment Minister Jan Szyszko told journalists Friday the

base year for the commission's calculations had been 2005, which had

been a hot year when the amount of energy consumed in Poland had

dropped.

"If another base year had been chosen, a colder year than 2005, our

emission rights would grow to more than 250 million tonnes which would

be satisfactory to us," he explained.

He added that Poland's predicted average annual growth had been 4.7,

whereas it was already now more than seven percent.

Czech Industry Minister Martin Riman said he was convinced the

commission, due to its complicated calculation methods and also

because of inaccurate statistics, had done a disservice to his

country.

He claimed the commission had broadly undervalued estimates for growth

of the Czech gross domestic product during 2009-2010.

Giving its decisions on Poland and the Czech Republic in March, the

commission said the two countries' plans were not compatible with EU

commitments to reduce greenhouse gases, nor with the forecasted volume

of their emissions.

--

There may come a time when the CO2 police will wander the earth telling

the poor and the dispossed how many dung chips they can put on their

cook fires. -- Captain Compassion.

Wherever I go it will be well with me, for it was well with me here, not

on account of the place, but of my judgments which I shall carry away

with me, for no one can deprive me of these; on the contrary, they alone

are my property, and cannot be taken away, and to possess them suffices

me wherever I am or whatever I do. -- EPICTETUS

Celibacy in healthy human beings is a form of

insanity. -- Captain Compassion

"Civilization is the interval between Ice Ages." -- Will Durant.

Joseph R. Darancette

daranc@NOSPAMcharter.net