The House of Lords European Union Committee is  conducting a short inquiry into the European Commission’s proposed draft Directive (published on January 23) for revisions intended to improve and extend to the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS). The results of the inquiry will help the UK Government and the EU institutions in finalising the relevant legislation.

The draft Directive amending the EU ETS will impact upon other EC proposals,  including the  climate change and energy measures published by the European Commission on January 23, the draft Decision on Greenhouse Gas Emissions which also affects sectors not currently included in the ETS, the draft Directive on Carbon Capture and Storage (which includes provisions on liabilities under the ETS) and the draft Directive on the promotion of energy from renewable sources.

The Committee is seeking evidence from stakeholders and other interested parties on a range of issues, including the proposed level of emissions reductions and the automatic change from 20% to 30% should an international agreement be reached,  the sectors and gases that the Commission proposes to include and exclude, the practical application and enforceability of the scheme, which sectors (if any) should continue to receive a proportion of their emissions permits allocated free of charge and the likely feasibility of creating links between the ETS and other similar schemes around the world.

The deadline for submitting evidence is 19 June. Further information is available from the Committee website.