Eurobrief February 2009

MEPs are expected to endorse the Compromise Amendments of the Parliament’s Environment Committee (ENVI) for the Directive on Industrial Emissions (recast) in Plenary on 9-12 March 2009.

CEMBUREAU has called upon President Barroso and other Commissioners vis-à-vis urgent action to avoid an EU-wide NOx and SO2 trading scheme for IPPC (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) installations.

The Information Exchange Forum, chaired by the European Commission under the EU’s IPPC Industrial Pollution Directive, is due to adopt the Cement & Lime BREF (Best Available Technique Reference Document) in April.

The European Parliament’s Industry, Technology and Research (ITRE) Committee debated Rapporteur Anni Podimata (Party of European Socialists, Greece)’s Draft Report on energy labelling earlier this month.

This month the European Parliament’s environment committee backed European commission proposals to extend EU eco-design rules for energy-using products (EuP) to energy-related goods (ErP).

Plans to step up use of the EU “flower” Ecolabel, widen eco-design rules to include products not consuming energy and simplify the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) scheme were also backed by MEPs in the Environment Committee.