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Launching the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP)

The Commission has set up a cooperation body to prepare future measures and policies to combat climate change.

ACT

Communication from the Commission of 8 March 2000 on EU policies and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions: towards a European Climate Change Programme (ECCP) [COM(2000) 88 final - Not published in the Official Journal].

SUMMARY

The Commission proposes setting up an inter-departmental body tasked with identifying and preparing the implementation of measures to combat climate change.

The aim of the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP) is to enable all stakeholders to participate in preparatory work on policies and measures to reduce greenhouse gases.

This structure is coordinated by a steering committee, which brings together representatives of all the Commission departments that participate in the ECCP. This committee is tasked with managing and coordinating the ECCP. Its main tasks include setting up working groups on specific issues linked to climate change.

The working groups set up in the context of the ECCP will bring together stakeholders from certain economic sectors, in particular representatives from the Commission and Member States, as well as from industry and non-governmental organisations. The first working groups set up focus on transport, industry, energy supply, energy use and flexibility mechanisms. Other groups focus on waste, agriculture and research.

The ECCP will base its work on models and currently available work. It will be supported by the appropriate departments, especially in economic and technical fields.

The Commission will make concrete proposals, on the basis of the reports submitted each year by the ECCP, containing instruments such as technical regulations, tax measures, voluntary agreements or flexibility mechanisms.

Background

In order to meet the commitments that the EU made in the context of the Kyoto Protocol (an overall reduction of 8% of greenhouse gases by 2008-2012), the Commission perceives the need to strengthen the action taken in Member States and at EU level. This would be achieved by stepping up cooperation and by dovetailing environmental issues into sectoral policies.

RELATED ACTS

Commission Communication of 9 February 2005 "Winning the Battle Against Global Climate Change" [COM(2005) 35 final - Official Journal C 125 of 21.5.2005].

Council Decision 2002/358/EC of 25 April 2002 concerning the approval, on behalf of the European Community, of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the joint fulfilment of commitments thereunder [OJ L 130 of 15.5.2002].

Communication from the Commission of 23 October 2001 on the implementation of the first phase of the European Climate Change Programme [COM(2001) 580 final - Not published in the Official Journal].

Green Paper on greenhouse gas emissions trading within the European Union [COM(2000) 87 final - not published in the Official Journal].

See also

More information on the European Climate Change Programme is available on the website of the Commission's Directorate-General for Environment.

Last updated: 04.01.2007

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