WG’s Political Well Box

Baltic Sea Parliamentary ConferenceWorking Group on Energy and Climate Change|[pic] | |25 November 2008“WG’s Political Well Box”Political Statements of theBSPC Parliamentary Working Group on Energy and Climate ChangeAs a pool of background information for WG Members’Speeches, notes and feature news paper articles etc1. Background informationThe 16th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC), which was held on 27–28 August in Berlin, decided to establish a working group on energy and climate change. The overall objective of the working group is to elaborate joint political positions and recommendations on issues of common interest in the Baltic Sea Region.It is obvious that the future energy needs in connection with the serious climate situation call for strengthened cooperation – also in the Baltic Sea Region. The challenge will be to develop this region into a highly energy efficient and growing economy, and – at the same time – to reduce the dependence on the carbon-based energy sources. Based on the prosperous situation, that the countries in the Baltic Sea region have a strong tradition for innovation and have the necessary financial, organisational and human resources, and based on the recommended intensified regional cooperation, hence it should be possible to execute the vision of the Baltic Sea Region as a world leader in energy efficiency and renewable energies.On the basis of a comprehensive hearing of experts and parliamentary discussions, the Parliamentary Working Group has discussed the energy and climate change in the Baltic Sea Region, and would like to propose for discussion the below recommendations.2. Statements of a mainly European and Global PerspectiveThe governments of the Baltic Sea Region countries and the Council of the Baltic Sea States should:1. Coordinate and cooperate on strategies before the COP-14 in 2008 (Poznan) and COP-15 in 2009 (Copenhagen) in order to provide consolidated support from the Baltic Sea Region to ambitious measures for the mitigation of man-made CO2 emissions by recommending:1. Bearing in mind the EU commitment to avoid that global temperature will rise over + 2o C, to aim for 25 – 40% reduction of CO2 emission in 2020, as concluded by the ad hoc working group of the Annex-1 countries under the Kyoto Protocol at the COP-13 session in Bali, and2. Encourage EU member states to stick to this commitment and take all necessary steps to achieve a 30% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 as EU obligations in an international agreement and a 60% to 80% emission reduction by 2050 compared to 1990, so becoming a role model for international society.2. Work together for the inclusion of emissions from airborne and maritime transport into the CO2 emissions targets after 2012.3. Take firm and coordinated initiatives to promote the better energy efficiency in all sectors of the societies and to promote the use of renewable energy sources.4. Involve civil society, public and education institutions in development and implementation of climate responsible solutions and behaviours trough better information and education opportunities for societies by providing adequate means and finances from national budgets.5. Present concrete measures which have to be implemented in mitigating climate change in policy and budgetary terms.3. Statements of a mainly Regional PerspectiveAs important steps the governments and parliaments of the Baltic Sea countries should:1. Strengthen the capacity to support and coordinate Baltic Sea regional energy cooperation in developing an integrated and optimized regional approach to the energy issues in the Baltic Sea Region, taking into account the various energy mixes of the countries in the Region and the possibilities for developing cross-border power links; for instance by strengthening the commitment to the BASREC cooperation and allocating the appropriate resources to the work2. Develop concrete and long-term strategies and measures – e.g. within the housing, transport, and industrial sectors – to reduce the vulnerability to the consequences of climate change; focus special attention on the need to renovate housing to ensure better energy saving and to improve a healthy indoor environment for people.3. Support the construction and greater use of land-based and offshore wind power, as well as increase the investments in the construction and upgrading of new electricity transmissions in the region and further to enhance interconnectivity within the wider Europe4. Promote the establishment of an inter-modal transport system in the Baltic Sea Region to save energy and make the Region a model region in Europe5. Elaborate a coherent plan for a large scale installation of off-shore wind farms in the Baltic Sea of at least 120 GW by 2030 ( vb. The European coordinators first annual report) including strengthened transmission lines connecting countries around the Baltic Sea - as part of realising EU 20% target of renewable energy sources.6. Secure the supply of energy, for instance by means of the integration of the regional power markets, promotion of energy efficiency measures, as well as development and demonstration of renewable energy systems and infrastructures.7. Deepen the cooperation to reduce the vulnerability and improve the adaptability to the consequences of climate change, as well as to the enhancement of the capacity to prevent and manage adverse consequences of climate change (such as natural hazards and technological accidents).8. Promote – by means of e.g. economic and political instruments, technology transfer, research and development, and vocational training - more effective actions to develop renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy savings in all sectors in the Baltic Sea Region, while taking initiatives to exploit the positive research, job and business potentials of environmentally friendly technologies9. Identify development and export potentials for technologies and production of renewable energy and energy efficiency and saving in the region, particularly in the new EU member states and in North West Russia10. Investigate and possibly upgrade the international financial support to development and export promotion, since realisation of propositions and potentials in the energy and climate fields depends very much on economy and private business and to upgrade the international funding opportunities for projects of renewable energy sources, energy savings, energy efficiency especially the spreading of Central Heating Plants (CHP) and grid connections between the states around the Baltic Sea.11. Strengthen more active involvement of parliaments in raising political focus on energy and climate change on the national agendas.Attachment No. 1Establishment of the BSPC Working Group on Energy and Climate ChangeThe 17th Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC), which was held on 1-2 September in Visby, Sweden adopted a resolution which, regarding Climate Change and Energy Issues in the Baltic Sea Region, called, among other things, for the governments of the Region and the Council of the Baltic Sea States toCoordinate and cooperate on strategies before the COP-14 in 2008 (Poznan) and COP-15 in 2009 (Copenhagen) in order to provide consolidated support from the Baltic Sea Region to ambitious measures for the mitigation of man-made CO2 emissions, by recommending:- a significant reduction of CO2 emission in 2020, as concluded by the ad hoc working group of the Annex-1 countries under the Kyoto Protocol at the COP-13 session in Bali, and- fulfil recommendations of the Council of the European Union to achieve a significant emission reduction by 2050 compared to 1990.The BSPC has established a Working Group on Energy and Climate Change effective from the beginning of 2008 and with the mandate to provide a report with policy guidelines in the field of energy and climate change at the 18th BSPC in Denmark in August 2009. The overall objective of the Working Group is to elaborate joint political positions and recommendations on issues of common interest in the Baltic Sea Region, focussing on the promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency, as well as joint efforts in adaptation strategies in the Region to coming climate changes.The BSPC Working Group on Energy and Climate Change is representing members of parliaments of all the Baltic Sea countries, the Baltic Assembly; the EU Parliament, and the Nordic Council.Attachment No.2Members of the BSPC Working Group on Energy and Climate Change| |Mart Jüssi |MP, Chairman of the BSPC Working Group on Energy and Climate Change, Chairman of || | |the Baltic Assembly Environmental Protection and Energy Committee, Estonia || |Anne Grete Holmsgaard |MP, Vice Chair of the BSPC Working Group on Energy and Climate Change, Denmark || |Kurt Bodewig |MP, Vice Chairman of the BSPC Working Group on Energy and Climate Change, Germany|| |Alf Eriksson |MP, Member of the Industrial Committee of the Swedish Parliament, Sweden || | | || |Ann-Kristine Johansson |MP, Member of the Nordic Council Natural Resources and Environment Committee, || | |Sweden || |Asanbuba Nyudyurbegov |MP, Member of the Russian Delegation to the BSPC, Federal Council of the Russian || | |Federation || |Donatas Jankauskas |MP, Vice Chairman Environmental Protection and Energy Committee of the Baltic || | |Assembly, Lithuania || |Georgy Leontiev |MP, State Duma of the Russian Federation || |Gottfried Timm |MP, Parliament of Mecklenburg–Western-Pomerania, Germany || |Harry Jansson |MP, Parliament of Åland, Finland || |Ivar Kristiansen |MP, Member of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee of the Nordic || | |Council, Norway || | | || |Leena Harkimo |MP, Finnish delegate to the BSPC working group on energy and climate change, || | |Finland || |Manfred Ritzek |MP, State Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany || | | || |Paul Rübig |MEP, Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, European Parliament || |RolandHeintze |MP, Member of the Parliament of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany || |Ryszard Górecki |MP, Member of the Polish Senate, Poland || |Taavi Veskimägi |MP, Member of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, Estonia || |Vents Armands Krauklis |MP, Vice Chairman of the BA Economic Affairs, Communications and Informatics || | |Committee, Latvia |