On 31 October started the 26th United Nations climate conference (COP 26) in Glasgow and it will last until 12 November 2021.
The aim of each COP is to assess the progress made by countries around the world in tackling climate change. The COP26 shall accelerate actions towards the goals of the Paris Agreement from 2015 and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The goal of the Paris Agreement is to limit global warming to well below 2°C, preferably to 1.5 °C, compared to pre-industrial levels. To achieve this temperature goal, it is of paramount importance to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible and to achieve a climate neutral world by mid-century.
As part of the European Green Deal, the European Commission proposed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and to set Europe on a responsible path to becoming climate neutral by 2050.
The Commission identified different important pillars, which shall contribute to the implementation of the Green Deal, and the most important one is the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).
The EU ETS is a cornerstone of the EU’s policy to combat climate change and its key tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions cost-effectively. It is the world’s first major carbon market and remains the biggest one.
EA and its members support the European Green Deal, inter alia regarding the implementation of the EU ETS and here in particular the monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions, which must be robust, transparent, consistent and accurate for the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS) to operate effectively.
According to the EU ETS annual compliance cycle, industrial installations and aircraft operators covered by the EU ETS are required to have an approved monitoring plan for monitoring and reporting annual emissions. This plan is also part of the permit to operate required for industrial installations.
Every year, operators must submit an emissions report. The data for a given year must be verified by an accredited verifier by 31 March of the following year. Once verified, operators must surrender the equivalent number of allowances by 30 April of that year.
The rules related the compliance cycle are set out in the following legislations:
- Monitoring and Reporting Regulation (MRR)
- Accreditation and Verification Regulation (AVR)
In 2015, EA extended its Multilateral Agreement (EA MLA) to the new scope “Greenhouse Gas Validation and Verification” after having signed a specific agreement with the European Commission (DG CLIMA) in August 2013 for the implementation of the accreditation of verifiers by EA National Accreditation Bodies (NAB) according to EN ISO 14065 General principles and requirements for bodies validating and verifying environmental information and of the Commission Regulation (EU) No 600/2012 (replaced by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2067 on the verification of data and on the accreditation of verifiers pursuant to Directive 2003/87/EC).
To date, 25 EA Members are signatories to the EA MLA for the scope GHG Validation and Verification with 155 accreditations of bodies validating and verifying environmental information (Source: EA MLA Report 2020, issued April 2021).
Moreover, to facilitate collaboration with DG CLIMA, EA has established the EU ETS Network Group, to provide regular input to the updates of current regulations in order to enhance the position of National Accreditation Bodies (NAB) so they are harmonized regarding the accreditation of verifiers and effective in initiating improvements.
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