Photo: European Union 2014
The European Parliament has throughout the years been given a more prominent role in the elaboration of EU legislation. The Lisbon Treaty placed the Parliament on an equal footing with the Council of Ministers in the legislative process for the majority of acts. Against this backdrop, Bellona acknowledges the significance of the European Parliament and its possibilities to bring about a real difference in its fields of competence, including climate change and energy. It will therefore be a prioritised task for us to build good and constructive relationships with the new Parliament’s members.
The European Parliament has a record of being the most ambitious EU institution within the fields of climate change and energy. Earlier this year, it passed a resolution on the policy framework for 2030, where its views on the European Commission’s proposal were presented. The members of the European Parliament voted for a 30 % share for renewables in the energy market and a 40 % improvement in energy efficiency, thereby taking a considerably more determined stance than the Commission. Bellona hopes that the new European Parliament will continue to be at the forefront of the global response to climate change and steer the EU towards a low-carbon society.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) remains at the core of Bellona’s work in Brussels. We have on several occasions organised hearings on the topic in the premises of the European Parliament. This is something we aspire to do again at a later stage and we hope for the support of the new Parliament. The previous was largely supportive of CCS, which became apparent with inter alia a CCS report passed in January, and we want to encourage the new members to maintain this momentum. A supportive European Parliament is a necessity if this crucial technology is to move forward in Europe. With the current political situation concerning energy security, CCS is set to be more relevant than ever before.
Bellona has compiled a set of policy recommendations for CCS for the new members of the European Parliament: CCS: Solving the climate puzzle for industry and energy