The adoption of the Green Agreement without knowledge of the substitution of resources is irresponsible, the Senate decided
Adopting such an interesting plan as the European Green Deal, in a situation where it is not known how existing energy sources will be replaced, is irresponsible. The Senate agreed on this in a debate on two EU regulations, the introduction of infrastructure for alternative fuels and the tightening of standards for greenhouse gas emissions.
The part of the resolution that speaks of the adoption of the Green Agreement as an irresponsible decision went through the closest difference of votes. 28 senators voted for her, which was exactly the required number of votes. The senators from the club mainly voted against her Mayors and independents, KDU-ČSL independent and SEN 21 and Pirates.
Proposals to implement infrastructure for alternative fuels and to tighten greenhouse gas emission standards are part of climate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mainly concern transport.
In the opinion of the Senate Committee on EU, with which the Senate also agreed on Friday, the proposals do not preserve technological neutrality, as they prefer the development of electric cars. “Tightening CO2 performance standards will have a negative impact on less developed EU regions and lower-income Member States, older end-of-life vehicles with internal combustion engines will go to primary markets and the fleet will become more obsolete without adequate countermeasures than in more developed EU areas,” he said. Senate European Committee.
According to the committee and the Senate as a whole, the proposed regulation is also contrary to the principle of subsidiarity, ie the right to have problems solved at Member State level.
The Senate opposes the extension of the emissions trading system
The senators were also critical of the proposed establishment of a social fund for climate action. According to European plans, the fund is intended to help mitigate the effects of extending the emissions trading system to buildings and road transport. The chairman of the ODS and TOP 09 senators, Zdeněk Nytra, stated that first the people would take the money, then maybe they would come to them again. According to Zbyněk Linhart (STAN), the fund is more of an alibi.
According to the upper house, the proposed extension of the system to road transport and buildings with regard to their heating is contrary to the principle of subsidiarity, according to which matters should be dealt with at Member State level, unless it is preferable to deal with them centrally.
The proposal to amend the Emissions Directive is part of the European climate description called Fit for 55, which aims to reduce emissions produced in the EU by 55 percent by 2030.
The Senate Vice-President Jitka Seitlová (KDU-ČSL) also had doubts about the commission’s proposal, according to which the extended system would be demanding and could be replaced by, for example, a carbon tax.
According to the Senate, the Commission has not submitted impact studies on individual Member States, their households and economic sectors. It has thus not allowed the parliaments of the Member States to fully assess all the implications of the proposal. According to the Senate, the EU-wide impact study is based on already unrealistic estimates of the development of emission allowance prices, while prices according to the Minister of the Environment Richard Brabec (ANO) have risen dramatically. The government will insist on recasting the draft directive in this regard.
According to the Senate, the Commission also did not take sufficient account of the different negative economic and social impacts of the proposed measures in individual Member States, especially in countries with lower purchasing power.
