WRITTEN QUESTION E-3334/98

by Roberto Mezzaroma (PPE) to the Commission

(10 November 1998)

Subject: European measures to achieve sustainable development on a global scale

Can the Commission say what measures are being undertaken by the Community to tackle the issue of sustainable development, in particular:

1. what measures are being taken in the short (3 years) and medium to long (3-10 years) term to encourage the generation of electricity by means of high-yield combined generators, using the widespread practice of "repowering" for steam-driven power stations which are obsolete but technically operational;

2. what measures are being taken to encourage the use, by means of environment-friendly technologies, of primary and secondary sources of technology which are currently neglected or underused, such as European coal, recovered fuels (solid urban waste and derivatives, industrial and hospital waste, biomass, etc.);

3. what measures are being taken to solve the related problem of high fuel consumption in the transport sector, stating, in particular, what progress is being made in the plans to switch goods transport to rail, to reduce and rationalize short-haul air traffic, to rationalize and reschedule urban traffic, develop electric and/or hybrid engines and introduce alternative fuels (methanol and "synthetic petrols");

4. what measures are being taken to persuade European industries to develop integrated programmes to generate their own energy at local level, and what the development prospects are for the actual liberalization of this form of energy production to ensure that it is freely accessible to all;

5. what measures are being taken for commercial development, by encouraging "alternative conversion", in particular wind energy on a local scale (rather than large-scale wind farms), domestic solar energy, photovoltaic energy and fuel cells;

6. what resources are being devoted to carrying out analytical studies of the status quo with regard to the "Europe System" based on energy and/or economic concepts?

Answer given by Mr Papoutsis on behalf of the Commission

(12 January 1999)

1. On 15 October 1997, the Commission adopted the communication "A Community strategy to promote combined heat and power (CHP) and to dismantle barriers to its development"(1) with the aim of achieving an 18 % share of electricity production for CHP by 2010. In addition, several Community programmes, notably JOULE-Thermie, SAVE, Altener, Synergy, FAIR, PHARE and TACIS, support activities to promote CHP in the industrial and tertiary sector and biomass gasification. In the period 1995-1998, total support under JOULE and FAIR amounted to ECU 24 million and total support under Thermie in the period 1994-1998 was ECU 44 million. In the 1998 SAVE exercise, 9 projects concerning CHP were selected for financial support totalling ECU 1,5 million.

2. Research on the mining of European hard coal, aimed particularly at reducing production costs, is supported in the framework of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) coal research programme which also covers research in the field of coal utilisation, with a strong emphasis on clean coal technology for power generation. Research into and demonstration of the clean use of solid fossil fuels (coal, lignite and peat) for electricity generation has been supported by the JOULE-Thermie programme under the fourth framework programme for research and technological development (RTD) and this support will continue in the fifth framework programme. In recent years, a part of the JOULE-Thermie budget has been allocated to research, development and demonstration in the field of co-utilisation of fossil fuels with biomass and waste, and Thermie has recently supported an international study on recovered fuels.

3. The integration of environmental concerns in transport policy is an essential element in the development of the common transport policy. The Commission's communication on transport and CO2 outlines a number of measures to limit the impact of transport activity on climate change(2). Moreover, the Commission has developed a targeted strategy to encourage the motor industry to improve by approximately 30 % the fuel economy of vehicles placed on the European market. In 1999, the Commission will present a comprehensive communication on air transport that will deal with noise and emissions issues at both local and global level. Finally, the fifth framework programme for RTD has a specific key action "sustainable mobility and intermodality", which includes research on alternatives to the conventional private car in local transport systems and improved management of transport demand. The development of cleaner engines and alternative fuels is a central objective of other key actions.

4. In the directives on the liberalisation of the European electricity (Directive 96/92/EC)(3) and gas (Directive 98/30/EC)(4) markets, CHP is treated favourably and co-generators may have priority in the dispatching of electricity generating installations and are granted, in principle, access to gas pipeline networks. A new proposal for a Council directive(5) amending the Directive on the limitation of emissions of certain pollutants into the air from large combustion plants provides that "in new plants for which the licence is granted on or after 1 January 2000 the competent authorities shall ensure that there is provision for the combined generation of heat and electricity where this is technically and economically feasible. To this end, Member States shall ensure that operators examine the possibilities of locating the installations on sites with a heat requirement".

5. Under the fourth framework programme(6), the Commission gave financial support totalling ECU 54 million and ECU 450 million respectively to research, development and demonstration on new (fuel cells) and renewable energy sources, including approximately ECU 70 million for accompanying measures in the form of promotion and dissemination activities and support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME). The technological fields benefiting from these measures were selected in accordance with the Commission work programme.

6. Within the energy framework programme the Council recently adopted the multi-annual studies, analyses and forecasts programme (1998-2002) ETAP(7). The indicative budget for this programme is ECU 5 million. The value-added of this programme consists in the pooling of analyses at European level.

(1) COM(97) 514 final.

(2) COM(98) 204 final.

(3) OJ L 27, 30.1.1997.

(4) OJ L 204, 21.7.1998.

(5) OJ C 300, 29.9.1998.

(6) OJ L 334, 22.12.1994.

(7) COM(98) 423.