Belgium: Cembureau has issued it support for the decision by the European Parliament to amend the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The European cement association has welcomed the decision that its says does not ‘deliberately discriminate between sectors and to apply a fact-based approach to policymaking.’ It added that the changes would make European industry more CO2 efficient, while maintaining its competitiveness.
Particular parts of the decision it welcomes include the inclusion of dynamic allocation, a benchmark with a minimum reduction of 0.25%, the introduction of a 5% flexible reserve in relation to the allowances available for free and those designated for auctioning and the impetus given to funding for carbon capture and use. It added that it was pleased to see that the amendments for an importer inclusion scheme, which it viewed were targeted at the cement sector, were not accepted. Finally, it reinforced its call for a ‘sector-neutral’ policy that does not differentiate between industries.
