BUSINESSEUROPE MESSAGES TO COMMISSION PRESIDENT BARROSO IN VIEW OF THE INRETNATIONAL CLIMATE SUMMIT IN COPENHAGEN

Commission President Barroso will make a political statement at the BUSINESSEUROPE conference: “Between economic and climate crisis - can Copenhagen show a way out?” on 28 October in the Charlemagne Building, Brussels. The Commission President will take the floor at 17h10.

BUSINESSEUROPE Director General Philippe de Buck will introduce President Barroso and convey three messages to him:

1) European business is committed to a global agreement on climate change

With today’s conference six weeks before the Copenhagen Climate Summit BUSINESSEUROPE reiterates that European companies support action to combat climate change and are themselves committed to doing their share. More and more European companies are becoming world leaders in low-carbon technologies and solutions. Under the EU Emission Trading Scheme industry has accepted that it must reduce its emissions substantially by 2020.

But we can only successfully tackle climate change if everyone is involved. We need a global agreement. We have published a Copenhagen Scorecard, in which we put forward our conditions for a successful international agreement. Among other things, it must:

• commit all developed countries to equally strong emission reduction targets;
• create a level playing field worldwide for internationally traded goods;
• establish binding emission targets or policies from advanced developing countries by 2020.

2) Companies need predictability

Companies have to factor climate policies in their investments. A clear global framework, preferably market-based, must emerge from Copenhagen. This includes clear commitments from other major economies, especially the US and China. In Copenhagen we need at least an unmistakeable political signal from these economies about their future climate policies for the years and decades to come.

3) No further emission targets for EU industry without a level playing field

Unilateral EU action will lead to carbon leakage, i.e. fewer jobs in Europe and more emissions everywhere. We see that other regions are starting to take action on industry emissions, but we are still far away from moving towards global and equivalent policies. At the moment one tonne of CO2 costs about 15 Euros for EU industry. In most places outside the EU it does not cost anything. Without a global level playing field, Europe should continue to give free allowances to trade- and carbon-intensive industry sectors under the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) and stick to the emission reduction target set for industry under the ETS, namely -21 % from 2005 to 2020.