4th EU ETS Compliance Conference

Representatives from Member State competent authorities and staff from the European Commission discussed the main compliance issues expected in phase III of the EU ETS. The conference focussed on:

• Providing Member States with an overview of the activities being undertaken to facilitate more consistent and efficient implementation of phase III requirements;
• Providing a platform for sharing Member State priorities for further requirements;
• Demonstrating the benefits of participation in the Compliance Forum Task Forces and insight into the issues they aim to resolve;
• Identifying compliance and enforcement challenges for 2013 and beyond.

The main conference objective was to provide participants with detailed information on the activities being carried out by the Compliance Forum Task Forces and to highlight the main compliance and enforcement issues that need to be addressed in 2013 and 2014. The Commission provided an outlook on the compliance related projects it has initiated in 2013, and the projects being planned for in 2014.

For 2013 these projects include:

• finalisation of available guidance documents on monitoring and reporting and verification and accreditation,
• an update of the Article 21 questionnaire,
• steps towards improving EU ETS E-reporting through update of the reporting language (XETL) and its governance.

For 2014 the Commission intends to launch a project on peer review of EU ETS implementation in two volunteering Member States and a second project on Compliance Cycle Evaluations in all Member States.

Outline plans and priorities for the Compliance Forum Task Forces for 2014 were also presented. Further details concerning the work of the Compliance Forum and its Task Forces are available on SharePoint, the Compliance Forum's shared electronic platform. Contact details for all the Tasks Forces and access to SharePoint which is available to competent authorities can be found in the Newsletter included in the conference proceedings below.

• Conference programme
• EU ETS Compliance Forum Newsletter No.1
• Opening address by Peter Vis, Head of the Cabinet of the Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard
• Main Conclusions and Recommendations

Day I Presentations

Breakout session I: Monitoring and Reporting (M&R)

• TF Monitoring’s objectives and activities, and its communication through SharePoint
• MRR main changes compared with MRG - Introduction of the MRR guidance and templates
• Validation and monitoring issues of mutual interest as identified by the TF M&R

Breakout session II: Accreditation and Verification (A&V)

• Explanation of TF A&V’s objectives, introduction to SharePoint and Workplan
• The Accreditation & Verification Regulation (AVR) – challenges and opportunities for CAs

Breakout session III: Aviation

• Introduction to TF Aviation and presenting what the TF does
• EU ETS Aviation state of play (COM)
• Review of latest verification concerns and main compliance issues based on experiences in Ireland
• Review of latest verification concerns and main compliance issues based on experiences in Malta
• Review of latest verification concerns and main compliance issues based on experiences in France
• Presentation by DE/DEHSt on their updated Emissions Report Evaluator (ERE) tool
• Results of the small emitters project (COM)

Breakout session IV: Key Phase III Challenges on Compliance and Enforcement

• Review of emission reports and verification reports
• Conservative estimation of emissions if emission report contains misstatements
• Practice of improvement reports
• Enforcement and inspection, addressing issues of capacity changes and problems encountered

Day II Presentations

Rapporteur feedback on the four breakout sessions

• Monitoring and Reporting (M&R)
• Accreditation and Verification (A&V)
• Aviation
• Key Phase III Challenges on Compliance and Enforcement

Plenary presentations

• EA 6/03 update and the EA Peer Review Workplan
• Commission initiated Projects for 2013: MRVA project, update Article 21 Questionnaire, EU ETS electronic reporting
• Belgian (Wallonia) approach to E-reporting, i.e. choosing ETSWAP as their IT system
• Commission presenting its Projects for 2014: Compliance Cycle Review and Peer Review
• TF Monitoring and TF CCS Outlook 2014
• Task Force Accreditation and Verification
• Task Force Aviation 2014 Onwards
• Elements for 2014 Workplan of Task Force E-reporting

Location