Minutes for European Parliament sessions (31 august-3 September)
Published on: September 4, 2009
The post-holiday relaunch of the European Parliament was committed to the priorities of Swedish Presidency at the Council of the European Union and the audition of three new commissioners.
The topics dominating this week agenda were institutional/power-oriented and concerned climate talks, the EU strategy to United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP 15) and practical questions of the share of renewable energy in electricity consumption.
Environment
The Swedish Minister for the Environment, Andreas Carlgren, in the ENVI Committee explained the environmental priorities for the Swedish presidency. With a view to the COP 15, they are focused on 4 areas: climate change, energy saving, biodiversity and renewable energy.
On climate change; he argued not only for the determination of ambitious targets at the COP 15 but also for the carrying out of these. Thus, the negotiations should focus on the way to put in practice these objectives. He emphasized, then, the need of a stronger relationship with the developing countries, especially with the growing ones, as India. In this framework, he argued that significant funds to help poorer and undeveloped countries should be implemented to establish more environmentally friendly economic plans and that technology transfers should be increased at short and mid-term to improve the efficiency of the work already accomplished. At the same time, in order to achieve an ambitious agreement at the COPO 15, a dialogue with China, United States or Australia should be increased in order to set ambitious targets, he added.
During the meeting, MEPs asked several questions about the measures to be taken in order to control the application of the implementation of COP15 objectives (in the EU and outside its borders). In particular, Satu Hassi (Greens/EFA, Fin) asked about the financing measures for the developing countries and noted that, as Carlgren said, they have to be linked with greenhouse caps. She joined her colleague Corinne Lepage (ALDE, Fr) and José Manuel Fernandès (EPP, Port) who argued for facilitation of the financial and more specifically of the technological transfer, which is crucial for them.
Besides, Christine de Veyrac (EPP, Fr) insisted on the crucial role played by cities and the need to develop “sustainable cities” as well as Public Private Partnerships and asked which the Swedish objectives on this matter are, considering however, that it is difficult for the EU to act at municipality level, due to subsidiary.
Industry, Research and Energy
Minister for Industry Maud Olofsson called for an European eco-efficient economy in front on ITRE Committee. She said she hoped an agreement with Parliament on the energy efficiency package (energy performance of buildings directive, the energy labelling directive and the tyre labelling regulation) would be reached this autumn, so as “to send a clear message to the international climate negotiations” in December in Copenhagen.
Ms Olofsson added that “The Swedish Presidency will do its utmost to prevent further disruption of gas supplies to Europe“. To enable the EU to deal with any supply disruption in the future, the Presidency would start working on the Commission’s proposal for a security of natural gas supply regulation, she said. Moreover, the Swedish Presidency will also try to reach a first reading agreement with MEPs on the European Earth observation programme Global Monitoring for the Environment and Security (GMES), stressed Ms Olofsson.
Regarding, specifically, the recast of the Directive 2002/91/EC on the energy performance of buildings, the Parliament’s Rapporteur on the proposal, Silvia-Adriana Ticau (S&D, Rom), briefed about recent developments in the Parliament and the Council of Ministers. She said that MEPs must wait until Member States agree a common position on the plans before they begin their second reading. If she’s hoping as well that the Council will reach an agreement this autumn, before COP15, she recognized that only high objectives must be reached and that a weak Directive will be unacceptable.
Besides, the exchange of views with Commissioner Andris Piebalgs on the gas supply situation (Ukraine-Russia) highlighted the need to diversify sources of supply in order to ensure the European energy security. MEP, Teresa Riera Madurell (S&D, Spa) called, in particular, for the increase of the part of renewable energy in electricity consumption.
On September 3, Tobias Krantz, Swedish Minister for Higher Education and Research discussed with ITRE Committee about the priorities of Swedish Presidency in the research area. He considered that the budget granted to research and innovation should be increased and that some money some be transferred from agriculture budget to research. In response to Philippe Lamberts (Greens/EFA, Bel) he added that the current funds should be used more efficiently.
He also encouraged the promotion of research at universities and public institutions levels and of the deepening of their relation with industry sector in order to participate to the “knowledge triangle”.
He also agreed with MEPs –in particular Romana Jordan Cizelj (EEP, Slov), Lena Ek (ALDE, Swe) and Teresa Riera Madurell who asked him about this issue, on the fact that bureaucracy imposed on researchers asking funds by virtue of the Seventh Framework Programme must be simplified. In this respect, Marisa Matias (GUE, Por) underlined the importance of this simplification in order to develop the share of ideas and technologies with developing countries and to put forward European research.
Regional Development
Regional policy can play a key role in EU action to counter the economic crisis and prepare a better future for all regions, but it needs more local knowledge and less red tape, told regional policy Commissioner-designate Pawel Samecki to REGI Committee MEPs in a debate on Wednesday. MEPs questioned Mr Samecki about the future of EU regional policy, climate change, and the impact of the economic crisis at regional level. Notably, François Alfonsi (Greens/EFA, FR) wondered what the Commission plan was to re-think regional policy to tackle climate change more effectively. Mr.Samecki said that climate change was one of the candidates for core priority in the future if there is agreement among all actors involved.
Maud Olofsson also spoke also before REGI Committee on September 3. She explained that the presidency will be focused on the transition towards an eco-efficiency economy as 30% of cohesion’s policy budget will be invest in green economy and that this should continue after 2013 .
Approval of new commissioners
Three commissioners were approved by the European Parliament on Thursday, as their predecessors had stepped down to become MEPs. After their audition by parliamentaries, on September 1, Pawel Samecki was endorsed as commissioner for regional policy, Algirdas Semeta took over the budget portfolio and Karel De Gucht development and humanitarian aid. Their mandate runs until the end of November as the European Commission will be renewed.
This newly reformed European Commission continues preparing for the COP 15 in December. Parliamentary support for the package of already-EU-approved environmental laws gives democratic thrust. These quantify reduction in emissions, energy efficiency and renewable source targets.
