Displaying items by tag: EU

EU: The coronavirus has caused emissions credits sold under the Emissions Trading Scheme to take a price dive to Euro16.31/t of CO₂ on 19 March 2020, down by 36% month-on-month from Euro25.66/t on 19 February 2020 and 22% year-on-year from Euro21.01/t on 19 March 2020. Environmental consultancy firm Energy Aspects said, “As the COVID-19 outbreak is now spreading rapidly in Europe, it will start to reduce emissions as lockdowns are put in place in multiple countries,” according to Reuters. The European Commission has forecasted a 1.0% contraction in the EU economy in 2020, revising its February estimate of 1.4% growth year-on-year. This would correspond to a reduction in industrial CO₂ emissions of between 10.0Mt and 20.0Mt by the end of year.

EU: Cembureau has responded to the European standardisation organisation Cenelec’s CEN/TC 350 ‘sustainability of construction works’ rules by amending its European Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for CEM I, CEM II and CEM III, corresponding to Portland cement, Portland-composite cement and blast furnace cement respectively. It says the update brings the three main cement types into ‘full alignment with the EU Commission strategy for a sustainable built environment.’

Spain: The Association of cement manufacturers of Spain (Oficemen) attended a debate at the European Parliament Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium that discussed future population trends across the EU.

The Vice President of Cembureau and Oficemen, Isidoro Miranda, was in charge of opening the meeting. He highlighted the role of the industry as an “activity that solidly confers on the economy of a country in terms of wealth generation, employment and the economic and social wellbeing.”

Highlighting that many cement plants operate for 80 or more years, Miranda added that of Spain’s 33 integrated cement plants, 12 are within what is considered to be ‘empty Spain,’ areas that have experienced rapid depopulation in the past 20-30 years.

To end the meeting, the President of Oficemen, Víctor García Brosa, highlighted that, "Depopulation is one of the great political challenges facing Europe today. It affects 80% of the territory and it is necessary to have strategies specific to promote economic development, access to services and connectivity. The decline or disappearance of traditional industries in Europe leads to loss of qualified employment and a mismatch between supply and demand in the labour market. A role for industries is essential to address the challenge of population fixing and combating emptied Europe."

During the event, Oficemen and The Industrial Federation of Food and Beverages (FIAB) presented a 'Manifesto against the Empty Europe,’ which they say is "a call made to the institutions of the EU to strengthen the role of the industry as a brake on the demographic decline.

Belgium: The European Cement Association Cembureau has joined 92 other European associations in lobbying the European Council to prioritise research, development and innovation in its Multiannual Financial Framework for the Institutions for 2021 to 2027. It called on the Council to raise the Horizon Europe project’s budget to at least Euro120bn, with a minimum of 60% dedicated to the ‘Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness’ pillar. Cembureau emphasised the importance that Horizon Europe should have the money to realise its promises of boosting growth, securing technological leadership and scaling up 21^st century technologies ‘at this pivotal time.’

Ireland: The Irish cement industry stands to make windfall profits of up to Euro50m 'at the taxpayers' expense,' according to sources familiar with the EU's emissions trading scheme (ETS). The sources estimate that companies such as CRH, Quinn Cement and Lagan Cement have made Euro26m over the past five years from the over-allocation of carbon credits by the government.

The sources estimate that the cement industry stands to make a further Euro25m when the next round of carbon credits is allocated under the ETS. The government allocates a certain amount of emission permits to companies for free. The idea is that polluting companies would buy credits in the market if they exceeded the permitted amount of emissions.

This system is known as 'cap-and-trade' but an initial over-allocation arose, partly because of the construction bust which meant that firms did not produce as much cement as expected. The sources said the transfer was a waste of public funds at a time when the exchequer was financially stressed. They also argued that the effect was to distort the market in favour of making cement.

The estimate of the scale of the subsidy comes after the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) noted earlier in 2011 that the current EU ETS provided potentially large windfall gains for certain industries, such as electricity generation and cement production. The ESRI argued that such windfall gains should be recaptured by society through the tax system.

A spokesman for Cement Manufacturers Ireland did not dispute the figures, saying that the industry had invested millions of Euros in new technology upgrades to become one of the most efficient in Europe. "The current recession was not predicted when allowances were allocated under rules proposed by the Commission," he said.