Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-11-16-Speech-2-079"
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"en.19991116.5.2-079"2
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"Mr President, I also want to congratulate Mr Chichester on his report. It is undoubtedly the case that, among the environmental problems we perceive as being serious, current energy systems probably account for at least 50% of the causes of these problems. Therefore, it is naturally important that the European Union should get more of a grip on energy policy in the future.
Seven years after the Rio conference and the convention on climate change, and carbon dioxide emissions are still continuing to increase. This is something which has been touched upon by many speakers here today. The main problem, as I see it, lies in the fact that the industrialised nations have done too little at home. This especially applies to the United States which appears to be most interested in purchasing so-called hot air from Russia and Ukraine and in that way honouring its commitments.
This deadlock must be broken. As I see it, only the EU can do this, and by means of an active strategy. On the one hand, it must emphasise efforts on the home front and active cooperation with, above all, the developing countries, as well as aid to these countries to enable them to adjust their methods of obtaining energy to environmental requirements. On the other hand, it must show that it is in fact possible to change course without incurring large costs because we obtain so many other environmental benefits when we limit our dependence upon fossil fuels.
In order to manage this successfully, a number of different means of control are of course required, for example norms and standards, but also economic means of control. We must look very carefully at road traffic because emissions in this area are continuing to increase very considerably. When energy becomes cheaper due to efficiency measures, there is unfortunately a tendency for savings to be eaten up through the so-called rebound effect; that is to say, we cause demand to be increased. I therefore think that taxation is an important means of control. A carbon dioxide tax involving a simultaneous reduction in the tax on work would be an excellent step in the right direction. It would show the world that we are tackling these questions seriously. It is my hope that, during the next few months, the Commission will take initiatives along these lines so that we might translate words into deeds."@en1
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