Climate change: implementation of the first phase of the European programme

The committee adopted the report by Anneli HULTHÉN (PES, S) on the Commission communication. It wanted to see further progress with harmonising energy taxation in the EU and insisted that all motor vehicles must be included in the Community strategy for reducing CO2 emissions. The committee also said that transport sectors must contribute to the 8% Kyoto CO2 reduction target and that the proposal to promote the use of biofuel in the transport sector was "extremely important". The report pointed to some gaps in the Commission paper: no mention of agriculture in the first phase of the programme and no proposal for improving energy efficiency in the EU's housing and buildings stock. Moreover, the Commission's proposed greenhouse gas emissions trading system did not add up to a comprehensive strategy, particularly for transport and private households, where action was urgently needed. The committee hoped the Commission's promised plan to promote combined heat and power would be ambitious and called for equal priority to be given to promoting biofuel-based heat production. It hoped the promised draft directive on energy demand management would not be too "woolly". It regretted the fact that the Commission had not issued a draft directive on more energy-efficient public procurement but looked forward to the forthcoming guidelines for the public procurement sector. The committee was also concerned about fluorinated gases and welcomed the Commission's plan for a framework directive aimed at cutting emissions of them.�