Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-03-12-Speech-3-395"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20080312.25.3-395"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, of course geothermal energy is covered. We are very much interested in geothermal energy, as well as in other renewable sources of energy.
Concerning Poland and the allocation of allowances: for the first trading period, they had plenty, far more than were necessary for the needs of energy and industry, and this over-allocation caused the problem with the allowances price. For the second trading period we consider that the allowances given to Poland are again quite enough to cover the needs of Polish industry. For the third trading period there is a new system, which will be based on what industry or the energy plants require to cover their needs, involving auctioning to the extent that we shall agree.
Concerning deforestation, of course it is a great issue and linked both to biodiversity and climate change – equally important. Tackling deforestation contributes both to halting of the loss of biodiversity and fighting climate change, so it is very important. However, deforestation projects have a peculiarity: they are very difficult. Nevertheless, it is one of the first priorities that we have to tackle, not only by means of this fund but by various other measures, especially by agreeing what incentives we should link with the various approaches to tackling deforestation, for example reducing the rate of deforestation and maintaining forests or any other approach that is being promoted by various countries. We are working on this, especially with the World Bank, and there will be some pilot projects. So, there are various sources of financing for various purposes.
I would like first of all to express my appreciation for the very good and positive contributions and I can assure you that your suggestions and comments will be taken into account in our work. They are very useful and they touch on various important issues.
I am not going to answer now, for example, about the importance of CDM projects for sub-Saharan Africa. I would just remind you that in 2006 in Nairobi we had the initiative by Kofi Annan, the then Secretary-General of the United Nations, for promoting CDM projects in sub-Saharan Africa. We, like the United Nations, are committed to carrying out more projects there and not concentrating only on projects in China and India. So your comment is very important, but of course the relation between this fund and CDMs could be seen and could be of importance.
I have three additional comments to make. First, you call for a special emphasis on serving the needs of sub-Saharan and ACP countries. Of course we are concerned that projects in major countries like China and Russia will absorb all or too high a percentage of the available resources. This has happened with CDMs, by the way, and so your comment is right. The GEEREF will engage in existing investment opportunities but we agree that special emphasis is needed on serving the needs of ACP countries. We will also ensure that any subfund which only covers one country will not be allowed to absorb all or most of the available resources. The GEEREF needs to be spread to different parts of the world, also with a view to spreading the investment risk, and Mr Turmes’s suggestion about the percentage is very correct.
Second, let me come back to the poverty dimension, which is obviously fundamental. As you mentioned today, some 1.6 billion people in the poorer countries of the world still have no regular access to reliable energy services. I believe that with the GEEREF we have an opportunity to contribute to access to clean and affordable energy, a necessary prerequisite for reducing global poverty and promoting sustainable development.
Third and finally, you welcome the Fund’s focus on leveraging private investments – although you mentioned that the funds are not enough; I think that funds are never enough – and you call for more Member States to offer additional financial support. Of course I fully support and agree with what you suggested, and the Commission is working and will continue to work to attract more investors to join.
On this aspect, I would also like to ask for your support in promoting the GEEREF to all relevant actors. The more support we have, the more real actions on the ground we will be able to conduct."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples