The National Association of Employers (RÚZ) and its European partners clustered in EU’s biggest employer organization, BusinessEurope, conveyed serious concerns on May 28 in reaction to a draft amendment to a directive on trading in greenhouse gas emissions. RÚZ secretary Martin Hošták argues that the proposal not only does not guarantee the fulfilment of an EU goal to cut emissions of greenhouse gases by twenty percent by 2020 compared to the year 1990, but also considerably hinders the competitiveness of EU industry, and hence the employment and prosperity of citizens in the bloc.
European employers from BusinessEurope say they support the European Commission’s plan to amend the directive on CO2 emissions trading scheme, said Hošták. Provided that fair conditions are preserved, it represents the cheapest and most effective tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thus secure fulfilment of the EU’s commitments in this sphere, he said. But he added that if the proposed system of trading in CO2 emissions is applied only within the EU and without wider international participation, it will increase costs only for European companies. That would curb their competitiveness and potentially cause their departure from the EU to countries that in many cases do not have an emissions restriction regime, warned Hošták. SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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