The need to counterbalance coercive effect of measures taken by third countries in breach of International law is undoubtful. It is however often difficult to clearly assess the legality of instruments based on international law, as a number of cases has clearly shown, such as Energy Charter Treaty based litigations against the EU. It is therefore imperative that any new legislation allows for the Commission and the Member States to be fully involved in assessing whether and how the actions taken by third countries are indeed unlawful, and which provisions of the international law there are in breach of. Therefore, it is of crucial importance for any new legislation in this respect to guarantee that a legal impact assessment is prepared by the EU institutions and presented for scrutiny for the Member States, before any EU action is taken. This will allow for the EC, in cooperation with the Member States, and the European Parliament to carefully assess the legality and impact of the third countries unlawful actions, and to respond in a coordinated, legal based approach. Read our feedback to the public [...]
CEEP is convinced, that the Taxonomy Regulation will play a crucial role in the EU’s efforts to reach the climate neutrality by 2050. Therefore, we welcome the possibility to comment the Commission’s draft Delegated Act under Article 8 of the Taxonomy Regulation, and we would like to make two important points. Reporting obligations should be phased in, starting with the scope listed explicitly in the EU Taxonomy Regulation The Taxonomy Regulation is only one of the elements in the sustainable finance ecosystem that has been created in the EU. For this reason, coherence and alignment between different EU acts is crucial. The implementation of the whole sustainable finance package (including NFRD, CSRD, SFRD, EU GBS and Ecolabel) poses a great challenge both for non-financial companies and the financial sector. Keeping in mind that the taxonomy is supposed to be a dynamic tool which will be regularly reviewed and amended, we suggest to phase-in the reporting obligations, starting with the scope listed explicitly in the EU Taxonomy Regulation article 8(1). Other elements of reporting mentioned by the Commission in the project of Disclosures Delegated Act, namely: CapEx plan, breakdown of the KPIs based on the economic activity pursued, specific ratio for the share of Taxonomy-eligible economic activities and the share of economic activities that are not covered by the Taxonomy, any qualitative information, shall be reported on the voluntary basis, until the Delegated Act is revised and amended. This will help to reduce additional costs in collecting, organising, and disclosing taxonomy-relevant information to a minimum. The EC should reconsider the proposed timeframe and give the companies more time to properly [...]
Central Europe Energy Partners (CEEP) is currently looking for a professional who will join its team in Brussels at the position of EU Policy Advisor. Skills and experience required: Good understanding of EU energy and climate policy Knowledge or interest with Central European region At least three years of relevant experience, preferably in energy sector, at the EU institutions, international organisation, think tank or academic institution Degree in economy, international relations, European studies, law or other relevant discipline Fluency in English and at least one language from the Central European region Good analytical and organisational skills, able to pay attention to detail Ability to take initiative and solve problems Ability to work effectively both independently and as a part of a team Be authorized to live and work in Belgium Your main tasks will be: Actively contribute to CEEP’s policy and analytical work on energy and climate topics, including drafting and writing position papers, policy briefs, articles and other publications Monitor and analyse energy and climate policy development on the EU and Central European level Maintain liaison with EU institutions and relevant stakeholders Support the communication work i.e. in organising events, preparing publications What we offer: Six months contract, with the aim of extending beyond this period A competitive salary package dependent on the work experience Opportunities for professional development and networking A professional and pleasant working atmosphere within a small team Centrally located office near the Schuman roundabout How to apply: Please send your application (CV and cover letter) to office@ceep.be (Subject line: “Application for the position of EU Policy advisor”) The deadline for application is 31st of May 2021 [...]
On 14 July, the European Commission will present its Fit for 55 package that aims to deliver the 2030 climate target of 55%. The package will include 13 policy strands that fundamentally overhaul the EU’s climate policy. It will also include the revision of the EU Emission Trading System. Furthermore, we observe that EU carbon allowance prices hit an all time high and the EU carbon price today hits record high 50 euros a tonne. Based on ERCST and CEEP’s long-standing expertise on the EU ETS, previous work done on the funding mechanisms, engagement and consultations with climate policy experts, policymakers and stakeholders, we propose 7 major recommendations to the use of auctioning revenues and design of the funding mechanisms in light of the review of the EU ETS under the European Green Deal: Ensure auctioning revenues are fully mobilised to for climate and energy purposes. Safeguard the solidarity mechanism from the functioning of the Market Stability Reserve (MSR). Ensure an adequately increased Modernisation Fund. Maintain trust and stability by keeping financing rules for the Modernisation Fund unchanged until the 2024 review. Taking additional factors into account when distributing the modernisation fund among MS. Ensure sufficient revenues are mobilised through the Innovation Fund to finance breakthrough low-carbon technologies. Explore additional financing options to deploy low-carbon technologies at scale through the Innovation Fund. Download the recommendations. Have a nice [...]
Poland’s government adopted a plan to accelerate its transformation to clean energy and nuclear energy. Poland seeks renewables and nuclear power as a way to meet its energy goals. The country’s new energy policy would create around 300,000 jobs. Poland aims to reduce its dependence on coal and calls to obtain 23% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, compared with 13% at present. The recently adopted energy plan foresees an increase in wind energy and the opening of Poland’s first nuclear power plant in 2033. Poland will invest around 33.7 billion euros in nuclear energy and will build six reactors from 2033 to 2043, with a capacity of six to nine gigawatts. Financing of the nuclear would be challenging but Poland had concluded that nuclear energy has a crucial role in providing baseload power in the energy system stressed Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński, Poland’s undersecretary of state for climate and environment. In October, Poland signed a nuclear intergovernmental partnership with the USA to cooperate the development of Poland's civil nuclear power programme. Currently, Poland holds talks regarding a financial scheme and a type of technology to the potential partners i.e. USA, France and South Korea. The government will chose a final location for reactors in 2022. For now, many places, which are situated in the north and central part of country are taken into consideration. Poland’s Climate Minister Michał Kurtyka underlined that a quite natural choice would be the Baltic coast. So far, Poland has no nuclear reactors. In the 1980s, construction of a first plant began at a small town on the Baltic coast, but the construction was abandoned in 1990. Source: [...]
We represent the widely understood Central Europe energy sector (electricity generation, distribution and transmission, renewables, gas, oil, heat generation and distribution, chemical industries, etc.), universities and scientific institutions.
