The current "black and white" approach in the EU Taxonomy regulation needs to be adjusted, and more space for intermediate/transitional activities has to be made. The proposal made by the Platform is a step in right direction. However, the upcoming complementary delegated act on transitional activities (including gaseous fuels) should be adopted before any other initiatives regarding the intermediate/transitional activities are considered. The EU Taxonomy delegated acts should set the pathway to sustainable economy and reflect the current stage of technology and market development, rather than setting the finish line, which is fully compatible with the EU 2050 target, but cannot be achieved overnight. The EU Taxonomy designed as a positive incentive which highlights sustainable activities needs some time to prove its viability. Before any extension the EU economy should have a chance to learn how to work with currently designed rules, and then the EU will need to carefully assess what are benefits and costs of the extension. Read our feedback to the public [...]
The report offers a comprehensive look at our activities during 2020 with four key topics highlighted: fair transition, energy system integration and the role of hydrogen, EU emission trading system and offshore wind energy. 2020 was the first year of implementation of the European Green Deal agenda. From the perspective of the energy sector, it was a busy year with numerous public consultations and discussions as well as important decisions taken regarding 2030 emission reduction target and the EU funds. “The energy sector will get ready to deliver, but we have to be very cautious with social costs of this rapid change. Without a strong support from across all EU Member States and all parts of our societies, the EU will not be able to meet its goals, and the world could treat it as an excuse for climate inaction. In order to avoid this, we all have to make sure that the “leave no one behind” theme will guide all EU energy transition instruments. People, not only in Central Europe and Paris, are right to worry about the costs of climate change and energy transition. The best way to deal with these worries is to engage all different stakeholders and run a frank and open discussion about the best mechanisms which would make it easier to bear these costs in a fair way,” wrote Mr Leszek Jesień, Chairman of the Board of Directors at CEEP in a message included in the report. Download the CEEP’s 2020 annual [...]
On July 14, the European Commission published the groundbreaking “Fit for 55” package as a part of the European Green Deal strategy. The proposed changes are to enable the EU to cut carbon emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels and to reach a climate neutrality at the EU level by 2050 in line with the objectives set out by the European Council and enshrined in the European Climate Law. The “Fit for 55” package includes draft amendments to eight existing regulations and directives and four pieces of new legislation. The proposed rules aim at improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions in the entire economy, and encourage to invest in zero emission technology like wind farms, photovoltaic plants, biomethane and green hydrogen. A short statement from Central Europe Energy Partners (CEEP): The pathway to achieve the 2030 and 2050 climate goals proposed by the Commission is ambitious. Energy sector and energy-intensive sector in Central Europe are ready for a high level of ambition, however only when adequate support is provided. Central European energy companies move away from coal-based electricity and heating, and increase investments in new low-carbon and renewable energy sources. They are willing to further speed up and scale up energy transition unless it causes a drastic increase in energy prices and hampers energy security. Costs of transition should not be passed on to end-users, therefore it is of necessity to further increase budgets of funds linked to the EU ETS such as the Innovation Fund and Modernization Fund. This will make money spent by the energy sector on CO2 emissions allowances return to these [...]
Gaseous fuels will play a very important role in the integrated EU energy sector in the next decades, but the composition of different gaseous fuels will differ among the EU Member States. It will depend mostly on local potential for cost-effective biomethane or hydrogen production. Therefore, specific targets on the national level should be carefully considered. Technology neutral support for biomethane and hydrogen uptake is necessary for each EU Member State to deliver their own transition and decarbonisation pathway. In case of the Member States that have to switch from coal power and heating sources to other, less emitting sources, gaseous fuels serve today as the only economically and technically feasible way to meet increased GHG emission reduction goals. Although developments on the hydrogen technologies is rapid, it remains unclear, to what extent renewable hydrogen will be able to replace natural gas in all EU Member States, especially in power and heat production. Most likely, at least in some Member States, natural gas will be still needed in 2030 to secure stability and reliability of the electricity grid by providing flexibility and back-up for intermittent RES. Read our feedback to the public [...]
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 [...]
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.
