Maria da Graça Carvalho MEP and Karl-Heinz Florenz MEP will host tonight the debate on the Implementation of the Emission Trade Scheme (ETS): Designing the right climate toolbox, with the presence of the Members of the ITRE and ENVI Committees. The event will take place at the Member Salon of the European Parliament in Strasbourg at 19h30.
The issues to be discussed will be:
Maria da Graça Carvalho MEP stresses the likely impact of ETS on European Industry and recognises "it is a step towards a low carbon society, but we shall have to pay particular attention to working out the concrete details in order to find the most cost effective solution". The Member of the ITRE Committee considers also that for "the European Industry it is of primary importance that we are not burden by unnecessary regulation and costs that out international competitors do not have to shoulder".
Karl-Heinz Florenz, Member of the ENVI Committee, points out: "The ETS Directive is not intended as a punishment of the industry but as the chance to develop, use and transfer new technology to other countries." The rapporteur of the climate change Committee stresses: "The auctioning of allowances has to be established in a fair and transparent manner. Benchmarking is foreseen to support the CO2 and energy-intensive industry that faces a strong international competition. The European industry shall not start in the competition with "lead shoes" if others start with "running shoes".
Maria da Graça Carvalho is Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and substitute of the Committee on Budgets, and Member of the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Karl-Heinz Florenz is Member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and substitute for the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. He is Member of the Delegation for relations with the United States and substitute for the Delegation to the EU-Mexico Joint Parliamentary Committee.