Emissions trading systems: Switzerland and EU in favor of agreement

Switzerland is the first third country to endorse EU emissions trading schemes, said President of the Swiss Confederation and Energy Minister Doris Leuthard (CVP) in Bern. This is an important step forward for international climate policy. Brussels also sees it that way. For the EU, it is the first agreement of this kind and between two parties that stand behind the Paris climate agreement, the EU Commission said. For the EU, it is a long-term goal to link emissions trading systems in order to reduce emissions and lower the costs in the fight against climate change.

Switzerland and EU want to be a role model

Switzerland and the EU had started talks on linking the trading systems in 2010 and agreed on the criteria last year. Now they are preparing to link the systems. Originally, an agreement was scheduled for January 2016, but the adoption of the mass immigration initiative delayed this.

"This is a very important step to intensify cooperation between the EU and Switzerland on climate policy," EU Climate and Energy Commissioner Arias Canete was quoted as saying. At a time when there are important developments in CO2 pricing in other parts of the world, the EU continues to show its leading role," he said.

Climate Alliance thinks nothing of the agreement

The agreement on emissions trading was criticized by the Climate Alliance. "The EU emissions trading system does not bring about a reduction in CO2," said Christian Lüthi, Executive Director of Klima-Allianz. This is because the price for emission rights is too low, at less than ten euros per ton of CO2, and it is unlikely that this will change by 2030, he said. Patrick Hofstetter, Head of Climate & Energy at WWF, criticized:

"If no CO2 price signal reaches the companies concerned, they risk making investments that will prove uneconomical as soon as effective instruments have to be introduced." Greenpeace Switzerland was even more critical: "The EU emissions trading system has degenerated into an ineffective playground for traders and industry lobbyists," said Georg Klingler, Greenpeace climate expert. With the currently planned linking, Switzerland is creating ineffective bureaucracy and losing influence.

Electricity agreement still a long time coming

Juncker and Leuthard summed up in Bern that progress had been made on the dossiers. The FDFA said that institutional issues were among the dossiers that had made progress. A framework agreement, however, was still a long time coming, as there were still open points to be clarified. Against this background, there was nothing new in the matter of the electricity agreement.

The framework agreement, which Junker wanted to call "more of a friendship treaty," should be in place by spring, he said. Things would move, and in the right direction. Juncker meets Switzerland's planned regulation on the free movement of persons "with sympathy." Thus, the FDFA also notes that a positive momentum has been set in motion this year, which has led to the resumption of various pending dossiers. (Source: DETEC)