EUROFER criticizes plans to introduce a 40% reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions for 2030.

The European Commission has published its 2030 framework for climate and energy policies on Wednesday. The Green Paper is a basis for discussion amongst stakeholders.

Design of future policies, the document says, should be based on lessons learned from the existing 2020 framework. Stakeholders are invited to state their views on targets and instruments for climate and energy policies past 2020 as well as on competitiveness issues connected with these policies.

EUROFER welcomes the initiative since a reliable long term policy framework is important for investment decisions in the industry. The European Steel Association also applauds the Commission's readiness to consider the consequences of the on going economic crisis as well as the effects of steeply rising energy prices on the global competitiveness of European industry.

Future climate and energy policy, the Green Paper claims, will also take the availability of technologies for meeting climate targets into account.

At the same time EUROFER criticizes plans to introduce a 40% reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions for 2030 as is mentioned several times in the Green Paper. This would double the current target of 20% until 2020 under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Mr Gordon Moffat director general of EUROFER said that "It is exactly because of a complete lack of economically viable technologies that our sector cannot meet such a target. The Commission should be aware of this since its own Joint Research Center has confirmed this in its recent study on CO2 emissions in the European steel industry."

Mr Moffat said that a 40% target would increase energy cost and add to the burden European industry and society as a whole already has to carry.

He said that "What we really need is a target and measures to decrease the gap of average energy prices between the EU and its main competitors."

He added that "Soaring costs of climate policies have been a major driver for energy prices in Europe. Our industry needs full compensation for indirect costs caused by ever more ambitious emissions targets to stay globally competitive. This is also true for expenses incurred by the promotion of renewables and related grid costs discussed in the Green Paper."