Positive and negative sides emerge from the “Intermediate Report on progress made in achieving the objectives fixed by the Kyoto Protocol”, published by the European Commission last week. According to the document, fifteen member states that pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 8% over the figure for 1990 in the period 2008-2012 are on target to achieve the objective (and what is more already by 2010) provided they fully implement the planned measures. For seven countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain), however, the Executive predicts that “the authorized level will be exceeded”, in spite of a substantial reduction of emissions over the last two years. As for the 25-member EU, there are no “collective objectives” for the reduction of greenhouse gases. In presenting the Report – which also invites the competent national authorities to “adopt more ambitious plans of allocation to the system of carbon trading” – the EU Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas appealed to the member states that are dragging their feet to “intensify without delay their efforts to reach the Kyoto objectives”.
