Academic Preparation Kit - 11th National Session of EYP Sweden

Academic Preparation Kit

Table of Content Session Theme 3 Selection Criteria 4 ECON 6 REGI 13 JURI 21 ITRE I 29 LIBE 36 ENVI 44 CLIM 53 ITRE II 62 Contact Information 69 Sponsors 70

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Session Theme “Sustaining our future” aims to raise awareness of the common challenges our generation faces in creating a sustainable future.

What can the world, the European Union and the European youth do to tackle problems like the global warming? While tackling these issues, the participants will also work together creating the future of Europe, a sustainable world and thus set common goals for our generation to build upon, and shape a world we can, and want to, live in. The 11th National Session of EYP Sweden aims to make Sweden youths reflect over their future, their problems and how they can affect and change their challenging situation together.

Moreover, the 11th National Session of EYP Sweden also is the 1st Eco-session of EYP. The 1st Eco-session” will focus on creating an environmental friendly session with a focus on how small changes can make big differences. The Eco-session will include workshops for all participants, knowledge sharing prior, during and after the session through social media and an environmental focus on the session material and logistics.

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Selection Criteria In short, EYP Sweden searches for a delegation that shows: • a capacity to represent Sweden in the best way at an international session, • an attitude of openness and a willingness to learn from others, and • a readiness to contribute to the spirit of the EYP and its activities.

The criteria below (in no particular order) make the foundation of the jury’s evaluation of the delegations during the National Session and, thus, its selection of the schools to represent Sweden at International Sessions.

1. Knowledge The delegates should give proof of knowledge on the committee topics,and especially the one of their own committee, but also general knowledge on Europe and the EU in particular.

2. Motivation and spirit The delegates should show motivation, team spirit and dynamism during the session. It is also important to display a positive attitude towards others. The group cohesion of the delegation is important as well as involving everyone in the delegation.

3. Open-mindedness and creativity The delegates should be open and interested to learn more. They should be able to handle and discuss other delegates’ ideas in a balanced and mature way. Furthermore, presenting innovative solutions and displaying creativity is encouraged.

4. Communication skills The delegates should actively participate in discussions and debates by both talking and listening. While language proficiency does not per se constitute a selection criterion, delegates should be able to express themselves orally in the official language of the EYP, English, which is the only permitted working language during the National Session.

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5. Co-operation skills and respect The delegates should show a capacity during the session to co-operate with other delegates and show not only each other respect, but also to the officials of the session (their chair, organisers, etc.). Teamwork within both committees and delegations is important.

Finally, it should be noted that EYP Sweden selects schools and not individual students, hence it is important that delegations not only are composed of strong individuals but also form a good team together.

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ECON

Mobilising for Growth

In light of the Commission’s recent proposal of the Investment Plan for Europe and the approaching mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework, how should the EU prioritise this budget to steer the EU further towards jobs, growth and competitiveness?

by Laura Hibberd (GB) and Felix Makarowski (SE)

1. Explanation and relevance of problem

In the last few years the EU has been subject to serious financial and economic turmoil.

Unprecedented measures had to be taken by EU institutions and Member State governments to keep the Euro, the internal market, and even the EU as a whole afloat. As a result of the financial crisis more than 6 million people lost their jobs, youth unemployment remains at an all time high in many Member States, and general trust in the EU and its institutions is low.

In 2014 the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) was introduced which set a budget of €960 billion, to be distributed amongst several key areas between 2014 and 2010.1 In July 2014, now President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker set out his aims for Europe’s economy in the near future. In his bid to become President of the Commission he noted that it is not governments that are the main source of job creation, but rather businesses.2 He has also stated that sustainable growth cannot be built upon mountains of debt.

In the months after his election President Juncker and the Commission have launched a Jobs, Growth and Investment package, which will focus on cutting regulation, making smarter use of existing financial resources and making flexible use of public funds. As a part of this package, the Commission is planning to make use of a number of different tools, namely the mid-term review of the MFF, the newly introduced Investment Plan and the Stability and Growth Pact.

The MFF will be utilised in 2016 during the review of the EU’s long-term budget which was set in 2014. The Commission will consider the current economic situation in establishing whether elements of the MFF should be reallocated and different areas should be prioritised. The Investment Plan is expected to unlock public and private investments in the real economy of at least €315 billion over the next three years (2015-2017).

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http://ec.europa.eu/budget/mff/introduction/index_en.cfm Page 4 of this address

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This funding will be channelled to viable projects, which provide real added value to the European social market economy, in order to stimulate growth and competitiveness.

Finally, the Stability and Growth Pact will be used as an incentive for Member States to contribute to this fund.

The Commission intends to take a favourable position towards Member States who provide such capital contributions.

With these tools identified, and the clear goal of job creation, economic growth and competitiveness established, what should the EU’s priorities be when using these tools in order to achieve its priorities and drive the EU out of the lingering effects of the financial crisis?

Useful links

http://epthinktank.eu/2013/11/14/2014-20-multiannual-financial-framework-mff/ Commission launch of the Investment plan and European Fund for Strategic Investments, 13 January 2015 Article discussing the announcement of the Investment Plan Series of infographics explaining how the Investment Plan will work

2. Key terms

• European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI): This Fund is being set up based on a proposal by the European Commission on 13 January 2015. The idea is that every euro of public money will be used to generate additional private investment, without creating new debt. This will be done through mobilising extra private finance in specific sectors and areas.

• Investment Plan for Europe: The European Commission’s plan for helping Europe’s struggling economy recover. The commission plans to invest EUR 21 billion that it then expects will grow to EUR 315 billion through stimulating private investment.

• Private Investment: Investment by businesses and financial institutions rather than by a government • Multiplier Effect: The economic theory that every Euro invested by a government will unlock private investment that stimulates the economy and increases the supply of money in circulation.

• Crowding Out Effect: The economic theory that too much government spending in a sector will dissuade private investment and negatively impact growth and competitiveness.

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• Real Economy: The part of the economy that is concerned with actually producing goods and services, as opposed to the part of the economy that is concerned with buying and selling on the financial markets. • Investment Environment: The economy is impacted by the market conditions in which investments are made.

Useful links

Infographic and file explaining how the EFSI works and where the money comes from Stability and Growth Pact website

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3. Key questions

• How should the Investment Plan be used to stimulate economic recovery and achieve the EU’s economic aims?

• Which areas of the economy should the Commission and EIB spend the EFSI on?

• How can the SGP be utilised to encourage investment?

• What priorities should the Commission and European Parliament set at the next MFF for available funds?

4. Key facts and figures

• With just 7% of the world’s population, the EU’s trade with the rest of the world acounts for around 20% of global exports and imports.

• As a consequence of the economic and financial crisis, the level of investment in the EU has dropped significantly since its peak in 2007, by about 15% • The EFSI will be made up of €5 billion from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and an €8 billion guarantee from existing EU funds designed to secure a contribution of €16 billion in total from the institutions. Thus the EFSI fund will total €21 billion, which is expected to generate €240 billion for long-term investments and €75 billion for SMEs and mid-cap firms over the period 2015-2017 • As a result of the financial crisis 9.9% of the EU’s population is unemployed today as opposed to roughly 6.8% before the financial crisis in 2008. That number is 21.5% as opposed to 15.1% in youth unemployment during the same time span.

5. Key conflicts

The purpose of the Investment Plan is to help kick start Europe’s struggling economy through providing risk support for long-term investments and to ensure increased access to risk-financing for mid-cap companies. To achieve this the EFSI will have a different risk profile than other EU financial projects and institutions. The EFSI will have a higher risk-bearing capacity than these, and will therefore be able to support projects with high societal and economic value that lack private investment. Through financing such projects with funds with a high risk-bearing capacity the Commission hopes to encourage private investors to assist in rebuilding Europe’s broken economy. To achieve this though the EU will need to spread the knowledge about the available funds to state and private actors on all levels.

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Establishing the Investment Plan has not been without opposition. President Juncker has made it clear there is a need to undertake some risks if Europe’s economy is to be reinvigorated by attracting investment again.3 However, several Member States such as the UK and Germany are unwilling to do so if the plan will create more public debt. The infographic above demonstrates that the EU itself is not fronting a large amount for this project, instead Member States and private companies are expected to invest. This may cause issues with the implementation of the plan if some Member States are contributing more than others,4 the likelihood being that Northern European countries will benefit the most as they are able to provide desirable co-financing and to give certainty of repayment. There may be very little investment anywhere else, meaning the investment plan would have done little more than replaced public investments in countries that could comfortably undertake them without any European level involvement.5 How can this be avoided?

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The Commission and EIB must also ensure the Investment Plan and the projects supported do not contradict the EU’s economic policy. For example, the EU has already made a legally binding commitment to reach the Europe 2020 targets,6 thus EFSI supported projects should not undermine these overarching economic aims. The Commission has looked even further ahead and strives to make the EU a competitive low-carbon economy by 2050.7 Therefore, the projects invested in under the Plan need to be selected wisely to avoid compromising these overarching policy commitments.

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A further conflict in this topic surrounds the issue of where the EFSI should be spent. The EFSI would focus its financing potential on sectors of key importance to the European Union where the EIB has proven expertise and capacity to deliver a positive impact on the European economy, According to the Commission and EIB, projects which the EFSI invests in should be economically viable with the support of the initiative, sufficiently mature to be appraised on a global or local basis, of European added value and consistent with EU policy priorities (such as, for example, the 2030 climate and energy package, Europe 2020 Strategy and other long-term EU strategic priorities). Yet this may be difficult to achieve in practice and is likely to have a varied interpretation across each EU Member State.

3 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/26/vote-support-europe-juncker-plan infrastructure-investment 4 Article demonstrating the varying attitudes of Member States to the

Investment Plan 5 LSE Blog article 6 Europe 2020 climate change and energy sustainability targets are

to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to be 20% (or even 30%, if the

conditions are right) lower than 1990 levels; to have 20% of

energy from renewables and achieve a 20% increase in

energy efficiency 7 See the EU’s Roadmap to 2050

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Useful links

Factsheet entitled ‘Where will the money go?’

An article critiquing the Investment Plan proposal Article explaining that the Investment Plan could create 1.2 million jobs if done right Article voicing opposition to the Investment Plan Europe 2020 targets

6. Stakeholders

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is a key player in the Investment Plan for Europe. The body will work with the European Commission as a strategic partnership to address these market gaps and help shoulder risk inherent in projects to encourage private investment.

These bodies will work together to launch the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI).

Member States, National Promotional Banks (NPBs), regional authorities and private investors all have a necessary role to play. In order to mobilise €315 billion between now and the end of 2017 there must be additional public and private investment into the real economy. Therefore private companies and SMEs stand to gain from having access to such a financial investment, but the hope is that private investors and Member States will be willing to contribute to the Fund.

European citizens have a vested interest in the economic recovery. With increased investment, competitiveness and growth come jobs and increased personal wealth for millions of European citizens.

Useful links

Explanation of the Investment Plan Report from the TaskForce Link to the EIB’s page on the Investment Plan for Europe

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7. Measures in place

The Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) lays down the maximum annual amounts (’ceilings’) which the EU may spend in different political fields (’headings’) over a period of at least 5 years, the current MFF covers 2014 to 2020. The MFF is not the budget of the EU for this period; it provides a framework for financial programming and budgetary discipline by ensuring that EU spending is predictable and stays within the agreed limits. It is proposed by the European Commission, the regulation laying down the MFF must be adopted by the Council by unanimity after obtaining the consent of the European Parliament.

The second tool the EU can utilise under the Investment Plan is the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP). This is a set of rules designed to ensure that countries in the European Union pursue sound public finances and coordinate their fiscal policies. The SGP has three arms: preventative, corrective and enforcement which are utilised to prevent fiscal policies from heading in potentially problematic directions and to correct excessive budget deficits or excessive public debt burdens.

As stated above, the EU must work within its economic policy commitments. Such as, Europe 2020 (Horizon 2020). Horizon 2020 is the EU’s biggest ever Innovation and Research programme. The programme aims to keep Europe at the forefront of innovation through making EUR 80 million in funding available to those who take breakthrough, discoveries and world-firsts from the lab to the market. There is also the Connecting Europe Facility which has a budget of EUR 1.14 billion that will be used to improve Europe’s broadband and Digital Service Infrastructure. The purpose of the programme is to improve Europe’s competitiveness and communications through digitally connecting Europe.

Useful links

Interview with the Vice-President of the Commission on the Investment Plan

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REGI

Unlocking the Urban Potential

With the agreed reforms, the transition to a low-carbon economy has been identified as one of the main priorities for the 2014-2020 term of the EU Cohesion Policy. Seeing that cities are key players in the regional implementation of this goal, how should the EU address urban challenges and engage cities in this transition?

by Maria Köpping (AT) & Giorgi Gugenishvili (GE)

1. Explanation and relevance of problem

Using only a minimal output of greenhouse emissions (GHG), the low-carbon economy is often labelled as the only means to avoid the drastic effects of climate change. It is also a strategy that has enabled and will continue to enable the EU to stay economically competitive, through the creation of jobs and the development of technologies. Since the introduction of this notion in 1972,1 Europe has been leading the developed world in lowering the level of emissions utilising a variety of tools; with the EU Emission Trading Scheme2 being an important instrument.

For the period from 2014 to 2020, the EU targets to (1) reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, (2) increase energy efficiency by 20% and (3) generate at least 20% of the energy consumed from renewable sources. The mid-term goals, on the other hand, have been set by the 2030 Agenda, with the goals being set at 40%, 27% and 27% respectively. With its roadmap for moving to a competitive low-carbon economy in 2050, the European Commission has set a target for the EU to cut its emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by that date.

An important pillar in the implementation of EU’s policies against climate change is the Cohesion Policy, which is the EU’s main investment policy at the regional level. Cohesion Policy, which is delivered through three main funds,3 helps deliver EU policy objectives and complements other EU policies. Transitioning to a low-carbon economy is one of the EU Cohesion Policy’s main priorities.4

1 http://solidiatech.com/sustainability/challenges/the-low-carbon-economy/ 2 http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/ets/index_en.htm 3 These are the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Cohesion Fund (CF) and the European Social Fund (ESF).

4 http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/informat

/2014/fiche_innovation_en.pdf

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In line with this priority, the Cohesion Fund5 for the 2014-2020 period, which covers 15 Member States,6 has been allocated two projects concerning the creation of trans-European transport networks and environment. Similarly, the low carbon economy has been indicated as one of the priorities of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).7 1

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With 72% of the total EU population living in cities, towns and suburbs and the share of the urban population continuing to grow, the EU population has become increasingly city based. Urban development strategies are thus a key to achieving the said goals. Today, many European cities face severe congestion, poor air quality and high levels of noise and CO2 emissions. Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs)4 and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)5 are especially important, as urban mobility currently accounts for 40% of all CO2 emissions of road transport and up to 70% of other pollutants from transport. The European Commission has identified the heavy reliance on the use of private conventionally-fuelled cars as the major issue behind the EU’s increasingly difficult and inefficient urban mobility situation. Thus, transitioning to a low-carbon economy without addressing the carbon-related challenges in urban areas is unimaginable.

Useful links

More on the EU’s regional policy European Commission’s section on urban mobility More on the Innovation priority of the EU Cohesion Policy 2014-2020

1 The Cohesion Fund is aimed at Member States whose Gross

National Income (GNI) per inhabitant is less than 90 % of the

EU average. It aims to reduce economic and social disparities and to promote sustainable development

2 Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece,

Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia

3 The ERDF aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in

the European Union by correcting imbalances between its regions.

4 The concept of SUMP has been introduced with the 2013

Urban Mobility Package and has emerged from a broad exchange

between stakeholders and planning experts across the European

Union. The concept describes the main features of a modern and

sustainable urban mobility and transport plan. See more

5 TS apply information and communication technologies to

transport. ITS as such are instruments that can be used for

different purposes under different conditions. ITS can be

applied in every transport mode (road, rail, air, water) and

services can be used by both passenger and freight transport.

See more

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The climate action section of Europa portal gives an excellent overview of different sub-topics and policies related to climate change More information on the 2050 Roadmap

2. Key terms

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) are natural and industrial gases that trap heat from the Earth and warm the surface. The Kyoto Protocol restricts emissions of six greenhouse gases: natural (carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane) and industrial (perfluorocarbons, hydrofluorocarbons, and sulphur hexafluoride).

Low-carbon economy refers to a type of economy relying less heavily on carbon power sources and thus, releasing a minimal output of carbon dioxide emissions.

Green infrastructure is a network providing the “ingredients” for solving urban and climatic challenges by building with nature. The main components of this approach include stormwater management, climate adaptation, less heat stress, more biodiversity, food production, better air quality, sustainable energy production, clean water and healthy soils.

Regional policy of the EU, also referred as Cohesion Policy, is a policy with the stated aim of improving the economic well-being of regions in the EU and avoiding regional disparities. More than one third of the EU’s budget is devoted to this policy, which aims to remove economic, social and territorial disparities across the EU. The policy also has a role to play in wider challenges for the future, including climate change, energy supply and globalisation.

Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) is referred to in the EU Action Plan on Urban Mobility 2009. With this plan, the EU encouraged cities to adopt a SUMP. The primary purpose of such a plan is the improvement of safety and security, reduction of air pollution GHG emission and energy consumption, improvement of efficiency of transportation of goods and services and enhancement of quality of urban environment and design.

The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is one of the EU’s most important tools to combat climate change and reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions. It works on a “cap and trade” principle: The cap sets a limit on the total amount of certain greenhouse gases that can be emitted by the factories, power plants and other installations in the system.

Companies receive or buy emission allowances that they can trade with each other; at the end of each year, a company has to surrender enough allowances to cover all its emissions.

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Useful links

To read more on the Low Carbon Mobility Report More on the EU’s regional policy Climate change glossary

3. Key questions

• With policy responsibilities on different levels (local, national and EU-level) and disperse competencies, how can measures be effectively implemented?

• With technologies for low-energy, low-emission buildings, intelligent heating and cooling systems, non conventionally fuelled (electric and hybrid) cars and better public transport already existing, what can be done to develop these technologies further and achieve their wider use?

• With vast differences among different European cities, how can the EU produce comprehensive, integrated strategies that are tailored to the varying challenges and needs across the EU?

4. Key facts and figures

• Over 60% of European citizens live in urban areas of over 10.000 inhabitants.

• Urban mobility accounts for 40% of all CO2 emissions for road transport and up to 70% of other pollutants from transport.

• The graph below shows the sectoral distribution of greenhouse gas emissions in 27 EU Member States as of 2011.

Total GHG Emissions by Sector

Fugitives (emission leakage) ; 2%

Industrial Processes; 7%

Agriculture; 10% Waste; 3%

Residential/Comm ercial Properties ; 14% Transport ; 21%

Energy Industries; 31%

Agriculture Waste Energy Industries Manufacturing/Construction Transport

Manufacturing/Co nstruction; 12%

Residential/Commercial Properties

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• Research indicates that, in order to reduce the emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050, the EU needs to cut the GHGs to 40% by 2030 and to 60% by 2040.

• Switzerland and Nordic countries are considered to be the most successful countries in the world at implementing the low-carbon economy.

• The EU ETS covers 45% of the GHG emissions in the EU. It does so by covering around 45% of emissions from over 12.000 installations in the power generating industry and other energy intensive sectors. Some examples of sectors that are not covered by the ETS are transport, buildings, waste and agriculture.

5. Key conflicts

Even though the authorities on both national and EU-level are generally in favour of implementing the low-carbon mobility in urban areas, the lack of focused strategy from the governments and a number of issues related to the ITS have made general public rather reluctant to changes. The criticisms mainly revolve around the high prices of smart transport, municipal complexity, lack of technical expertise and the geographical assortment of the cities which make large-scale infrastructural constructions much harder to implement.

In addition, there are instances when the national policies block the city municipalities’ suggestions to promote the low-carbon mobility as is the case with Amsterdam trying to introduce different parking fees for smart vehicles.

The EU has to make use of its existing funding mechanisms (such as the Cohesion Fund and the ERDF), as well as other non-financial policy tools in order to create policies that can ensure the further implementation of environmental priorities at the urban level. In order to achieve this goal, it is important to assess the differences between problems faced by cities in Europe and facilitate the integration of local authorities in the resolution of these problems.

An aspect that has been much debated is the effectiveness of the EU ETS, which currently covers over 10,000 factories, power stations and industrial plants and 45% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions. While some see it as a very effective tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and put climate change on the agenda of company boards across Europe, the system has also faced numerous points of criticism. For example, it has been argued that the some sectors covered by the ETS have been given more allowances than they need, thereby not pressuring them enough into reducing their emissions. Others have argued that the ETS should have fewer credits and create larger emission reductions altogether. It has also been pointed out that prices of emission allowances are unpredictable and there is a possibility of price collapsing, mainly due to changes in prices of energy and industrial output.

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Some reforms for the ETS have already been included in the 2030 Roadmap. The most important part of the reform will be the setting up of a market stability reserve to address the problem of surplus emission allowances in the system.

Useful links

An article criticising certain aspects of the ETS More on the ETS Reform

6. Stakeholders

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy serves as a knowledge base within the Commission to inform policy making with regional data and intelligence. The Directorate- General works with the Member states, regions and other stakeholders to assess needs, finance investments and evaluate the results from a long-term EU perspective. It is made up of 700 professionals from all over the European Union who understand the diverse challenges faced by the Member States and their regions.

Committee of Regions (CoR) is an advisory body representing local and regional authorities in the European Union. The role of the CoR is to put forward local and regional points of view on EU legislation. It does so by issuing reports (‘opinions’) on Commission proposals.

The Commission, the Council and the Parliament must consult the CoR before EU decisions are taken on matters concerning local and regional government. The CoR currently has 353 members (and as many alternate members) from all 28 EU countries. The members are elected members of or key players in local or regional authorities in their home region. There are six commissions under the CoR, one of them being the Commission on Environment, climate change and Energy.

Local authorities (LAs), according to the European Commission definition, are directly or indirectly elected public governing bodies at sub-national level which possess within a given territory, as defined by law, a degree of autonomy from the central government and a set of competences to deliver public goods and services to citizens. They encompass a large variety of public governing bodies at various levels i.e. municipalities, communities, districts, counties, provinces, regions etc. As defined above, LAs vary across a range of dimensions, including: population size, number of tiers in the local government system, urban vs. rural, mandates and functions, human and financial resources, linkages with customary institutions, degree to which they are downwardly accountable and representative, and their financial arrangements.

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Associations of Local Authorities (ALAs) are to be understood as umbrella organisations based on membership and representation at national, regional, continental and international level, with a permanent body established as an autonomous entity in accordance with the legislation in force in the country of registration. The largest organisation at the European level is the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)10 Citizens and businesses are also important stakeholders, as they are a vital factor shaping urban life. As both are essential elements of the urban landscape, it is essential to involve both as stakeholders and balance the wide array of interest that they have. It should be kept in mind that they also have great potential to maximise the effects of policies through their cooperation and contribution.

Carbon Trade Watch,11 Verified Carbon Standard3 and other NGOs are an important stakeholder, because they actively engage with a number of policies related to climate change and steer public attention towards issues that are not in the public eye. An important NGO network that is worth noting is the Climate Action Network Europe (CAN Europe), which is Europe’s largest coalition working on climate and energy issues. With over 120 member organisations in more than 25 European countries, CAN Europe works to prevent dangerous climate change and promote sustainable climate and energy policy in Europe.

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Useful links

Further information on the Directorate- General for Regional and Urban Policy Main page of the Committee of Regions, with extensive information on its activities Official website of the Carbon Trade Watch Official Website of the Verified Carbon Standard Official Website of CAN Europe

10 http://www.ccre.org/ 11 Carbon Trade Watch is an independent research collective working on climate

change and climate policy from a justice- based perspective. They are known for

their opposition to carbon trading and the UN REDD initiative.

12 Verified Carbon Standard is a voluntary greenhouse gas program that

was founded by business and environmental leaders. It is currently

the world’s most widely used voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG)

reduction program. In just a few short years, more than 1000

registered projects have collectively removed more than 130

million tons of emissions from the atmosphere through the VCS.

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7. Measures in place

The EU Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 names developing integrated low-carbon strategies in urban areas as one of its priorities with a focus on multi-modal urban mobility, smart electrical grids and street lighting. The EU has also identified a long-term objective of reducing the emissions in the 2050 Roadmap, aiming to set out a cost-effective pathway for achieving much deeper emission cuts.

As for the urban transport-related measures, the European Commission has created the Urban Mobility Package in 2013, which aims to develop resource efficient city transport by raising the level of cooperation between MS and providing more funds for the research on delivering more solutions to urban challenges. In addition, the Fuel Quality Directive sets the minimal standards for the carbon based-fuel road transport to reduce the GHG intensity.

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) allocates the funds according to the level of development of the region and has identified low-carbon economy as one of its key priorities in 2014-2020 after spending 18.5 billion Euros in the low-carbon themes (clean urban transport, cycle paths, etc.) during the 2007-2013 period.

The Reference Framework for European Sustainable Cities (RFSC) is an online toolkit designed to help cities promote and enhance their work on integrated sustainable urban development. It is available free of charge to all European local authorities and offers practical support in integrating sustainability principles into local policies and actions. It has been created as a joint initiative of the Member States, the European Commission and European organizations of local governments.

The Sustainable Urban Development Network (SUD-net) is an initiative of the United Nations which aims to create a more multilateral approach to sustainable development and works with national governments.

Useful links

Low carbon economy priority of the EU Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 European Commission website section on Clean Transport, Urban Transport

FAQs on the Urban Mobility Package

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JURI

Towards a Digital Single Market

The creation of a connected digital single market in the EU can generate up to €250 billion of additional growth while transforming Europe into a knowledge-based society. How should the EU make better use of opportunities offered by digital technologies and take the necessary legislative and regulatory steps towards a connected single market?

by Noura Berrouba (SE) & Sabrina Ariana Mellerowic (DE) 1. Explanation and relevance of problem

The creation of the single market is considered one of the European Union’s most significant achievements. It allows people and businesses to move and trade freely across borders within the EU. Initially open to 345 million people in 1992, it can now be accessed by over 500 million people in 28 EU Member States. Nowadays, industries worldwide are witnessing a massive change in light of the rapidly increasing importance of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The current digital field in the EU is an immensely fragmented market, split up into 28 national markets. Whereas the level of e-commerce has been growing rapidly within individual Member States from a low base, it is still relatively low in between the individual countries. Numerous barriers still block the free flow of goods and online services across national borders.1 In the last years, Europe, compared to the US and Asia, has not been able to keep up pace in the area of digital innovation. Thus, the digital economy is crucial for Europe’s global competitiveness. Jean-Claude Juncker, newly elected president of the European Commission (EC) has identified the need of the creation of a digital single market in the Commission’s political guidelines for 2015. If completed, a digital single market will enable Europe to gain 4% GDP by 2020. A fully functioning digital single market would result in significantly higher productivity and efficiency within all sectors of the economy, not only digital ones.2

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http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/etudes/join/2014 /510983/IPOL-EAVA_ET(2014)510983_EN.pdf http://www.businesseurope.eu/content/default.asp?PageID =568&DocID=33327

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The digital single market has on one hand the potential to improve access to information, to reduce transaction costs and the environmental footprint.3 On the other hand, it will facilitate the introduction of improved business and administrative models. Consumers will also benefit from this transition, as increased e-commerce leads to more cross-border trade and easier comparison of offers. Additional benefits include faster development of products, lower prices, more choice and better quality of goods and services.4 1

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What restrictions keep the digital economy fractured in the EU and what steps need to be taken to establish a true digital single market to be able to make use of those benefits?

Useful links

Press release: Work Programme for 2015 Working Paper: Digital Economy – Facts & Figures Businesseurope: The digital economy is crucial for growth Roadmap to the Digital Single Market Mapping of the cost of non-Europe 2014-19 Article: ¨Fighting Google¨: Europe Eyes Digital Agenda to Better Compete with the US

2. Key terms

• Digital Single Market (DSM): aims to remove national barriers to transactions taking place online. It is based on the concept of the common market, which aims the elimination of trade barriers between Member States.5 3

•

Digital revolution: advancement of technology from analog, electronic and mechanical devices to the digital technology available today. The era started during the 1980s and is on going.6 4

3 The effect that a person, company, activity, etc. has on

the environment, for example the amount of natural re

sources that they use and the amount of harmful gases that they produce.

4 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/aboutparliament/en/dis playFtu.html?ftuId=FTU_5.9.4.html 5 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/aboutparliament/en/dis playFtu.html?ftuId=FTU_5.9.4.html 6 http://www.techopedia.com/definition/23371/digital -revolution

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• Data Protection: according to the Data Protection Directive (EU Directive 95/46/EC) Member States have to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of persons, and in particular their right to privacy, with respect to the processing of personal data.

• Copy Right: the exclusive right to make copies, license and otherwise exploit a literary, musical or artistic work, whether printed, audio, video etc.7 1

• Knowledge-based society: refers to well-educated societies, which are relying on the knowledge of their citizens to drive the innovation, entrepreneurship and dynamism of that society’s economy.8 2

• •

Roaming: Use of a cellular phone outside its calling area.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT): a general term including any communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems etc., as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning.9 3

•

E-Government: Online communication between citizens or governments, respectively the use of ICTs to improve the activities of the public sector.10 4

•

Competition law: area of law that aims to ensure a fair competition between businesses.11 5

3. Key questions •

How can borders in the digital single market be decreased/removed?

•

How can the existing copyright rules be modernised in light of the digital revolution and changed consumer behaviour?

•

What steps need to be taken to modernise and simplify consumer rules for online and digital purchases?

•

What can be done to support and increase the number of innovative start-ups using ICTs?

7 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/copyright 8 http://www.oas.org/en/topics/knowledge_society.asp 9 http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/ICT-information-and communications-technology-or-technologies 10 http://www.egov4dev.org/success/definitions.shtml 11 http://dictionary.cambridge.org/de/worterbuch/business englisch/competition-law

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•

How can digital skills be boosted and learning across society be increased?

4. Key facts and figures •

A complete digital single market could raise the long-run level of EU28 GDP by at least 4.0 per cent or around 520 billion euro at current prices.12 1

•

Digital technologies have a great impact on the creation of jobs and growth, considering that the Internet is empowering people to create and share their ideas, giving rise to new content, entrepreneurs and markets.

•

Half of all productivity growth is based on investment in ICTs. There are more than 4 million ICT workers across numerous sectors in Europe and their number is growing by 3 per cent annually despite the crisis.

•

Internet traffic is doubling every 2–3 years and mobile Internet traffic every year.

•

There will be 25 billion wirelessly connected devices by 2015 worldwide, even doubling to 50 billion in 2020.

•

It is expected that mobile data traffic will increase 12 times between 2012 and 2018, and data traffic on smart phones 14 times by 2018.

• The effects of new developments like the App Economy, which began with the launch of the Apple App Store in 2008 are immense. Downloads of applications – “apps” – total around 100 billion with nearly 1 million apps available across an increasing number of app stores. The economic impact is significant and growing. A report commissioned by the industry mention revenues of more than €10 billion per annum or jobs in the order of 790.000 across the whole EU economy.13 2

12 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/the-secretary-general/re source/static/files/Documents/2014july_Mapping_the_ cost_of_non-europe-EN.pdf 13 All facts & figures, apart from the first one are taken from this report

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5. Key conflicts

Digital infrastructure and telecommunications regulation – Compared to the US, the EU has not been able to keep up the pace in the development of ultra-fast broadband14 as well as the market launch of new generation mobile technologies such as the worldwide fourth generation long-term evolution (4G LTE).15 This deficit is based on fragmented telecommunication markets in Europe due to incompatible technical systems, differences in infrastructure and national legislation as well as uncertainties created by different levels of regulations and inconsistencies in the application of these regulations in different Member States. In comparison to a handful of operators in the US, over 200 exist in the EU. What the EU needs to be able to compete globally is a fusion of operators as well as low-priced pan-European firms. Apart from that, it is necessary that authorities ensure healthy competition to avoid abuse of dominant positions in the market.

1

2

Culture, digital content and copyright - To support and protect Europe’s creative industries and rich cultural diversity, content producers and providers require appropriate support to be able to adapt to the digital area. It has to be insured that their intellectual property (IP) is protected. Despite this need, copyright laws are poorly adapted to the digital revolution. Moreover, differences in IP protection across Member States prevent many firms from competing outside of their home country. Above that, European consumers are often restricted from accessing digital content, which is available in other Member States resulting from the complexities of territory-based licensing and copyright.

E-Commerce – European enterprises operating cross-border have to adapt to 28 different contract laws and value added tax systems. This displays a great burden, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).16 A lighter regulatory framework and harmonised system would thus be strongly beneficial for digital business. Apart from that, consumers lack required information about products available outside of their home country, which may be a reason why they do not efficiently make use of the EU as a single market. If used efficiently, they would be able to enjoy benefits of wider choice and reduced prices. Consumers are also in need of assurances that they can trust security of online services, transactions and online payments in particular.

3

14 Ultra-Fast Broadband is a broadband service, which allows download speeds of at least 100

Mbps and upload speeds of at least 50 Mbps with fiber connections. (As of 2013, it was

available to 85% of Americans and 30% of Europeans).

15 4G means the fourth generation of data technology for cellular networks - following

3G,the third generation. LTE stands for Long Term Evolution and is short for a very

technical process for high-speed data for phones and other mobile devices.

Together, they make 4G LTE - the fastest 4G service available today. In early

2012, 64% of worldwide 4G LTE subscriptions were in North America,

only 3% in Europe.

16 Companies that employ less than 50 or 250 employees respectively.

They are considered the backbone of the European economy being

crucial to European employment and economic growth rates.

SMEs have great potential for innovation, research,

development as well as the creation of new products and markets.

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Public administration and e-government – According to estimations by the EC in 2012, public administration making use of e-procurement17 procedures could save about €100 billion per year and that e-government could reduce costs by 15 to 20%. Yet, the incorporation of these technologies is far behind the Digital Agenda goals.

A further problem is the lack of fast Internet connections in rural areas.

Many Europeans do for instance not have broadband at all. In rural areas across the EU, over 4 homes in 5 are not provided with fast coverage. Many millions are therefore not able to enjoy the latest digital innovations.18 2

Useful links

Hearings of European Commissioners-designate - Andrus Ansip - Vice-President – Digital Single Market International Copyright Basics Communications Networks, Content and Technology – Digital Single Market

6. Stakeholders

At the European level the most important player is the European Commission (EC). The Commission drafts directives, provides action plans, with proposed laws such as the CESL to the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. Jean-Claude Juncker, newly elected president of the Commission included the creation of a digital single market in his top priorities for 2015. Within the Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip19 is leading the project team “Digital Single Market”. Furthermore Günther Oettinger,20 as Commissioner for Digital Economy & Society is an important member of this project team.

3

4

The European Parliament (EP), reviews the proposals from the EC and provides feedback.

To become binding, the proposed Regulation will then have to be adopted by the Council of Ministers using the ”ordinary legislative procedure” (co-decision).

17 E-procurement is the business-to-business purchase and

sale of supplies and services over the Internet. Typically,

e-procurement Web sites allow qualified and registered

users to look for buyers or sellers of goods and services.

Depending on the approach, buyers or sellers may

specify prices or invite bids. Transactions can be initiated

and completed. Ongoing purchases may qualify customers for volume discounts or special offers.

18 http://ec.europa.eu/commission/2014-2019/oettinger/ blog/connected-europe-broadband-all-answer_en 19 Mission letter from Ansip 20 Mission letter from Oettinger

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Once the EP approves a regulation, the Member States have to ensure the implementation at the national level.

Europe’s telecoms and audiovisual markets for instance are partitioned by the Member States. To remedy the situation of a fragmented digital single market, the Member States need to fully implement key EU directives on the creation of the digital single market. In the case of audiovisual markets, national legislation also needs to be coordinated to make sure that audiovisual content can circulate freely.

This is the aim of the Audiovisual Media Services (AVMS) Directive.

The European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) ensures a high level of network and information security necessary in the EU. It provides expert advice on network and information security to national authorities and EU institutions.

Moreover it facilitates contacts between EU institutions, national authorities and businesses.

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) as well as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) cooperate with the EU. Both were mentioned in the European Parliament’s resolution of 4 July 2013 on completing the digital single market.21 In this resolution the EP notes that e-commerce has developed outside of traditional and standard regulatory frameworks of the EU. It thus emphasises the importance of increased international cooperation with the WTO and the WIPO in order to protect and ensure the development of the global digital market.

7. Measures in place

The most comprehensive measure, proposed by the Commission is the Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE) as a part of the Europe 2020 strategy.22 The DAE consists of seven priority areas for action: creating a digital Single Market, greater interoperability, boosting internet trust and security, much faster internet access, more investment in research and development, enhancing digital literacy skills and inclusion, and applying ICTs to address challenges facing society like climate change and the ageing population. Some of the benefits include easier electronic payments and invoicing, rapid deployment of telemedicine and energy efficient lighting. Within these seven pillars 100 concrete actions are defined, which will help to reboot the EU and enable Europe’s citizens and businesses to make use of digital technologies most efficiently. The Digital Agenda is the first of seven flagship initiatives under the Europe 2020 strategy. The target’s process can be viewed in the Digital Agenda Scoreboard.

21

22

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP //TEXT+TA+P7-TA-2013-0327+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN Europe 2020 is the European Union’s ten-year growth and jobs strategy that was launched in 2010

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The digital economy is moreover a central part of the Single Market Act II (SMA II), which was also initiated by the EC. Launched in 2012, it follows in the footsteps of the Single Market Act I from 2011. Concerning the digital economy, as a step towards the completion of the digital single market by 2015, the EC is proposing to promote e-commerce in the EU by making payment services easier to use, more trustworthy and more competitive; above that the SMA II addresses the key causes of the lack of investment in high-speed broadband connections, to make electronic invoicing standard in public procurement procedures and to highlight the importance of consumer confidence. Numerous legislative proposals, including abolishing roaming charges in Europe and improving cybersecurity, are currently being debated by the Parliament as a matter of priority.

The Common European Sales Law (CESL) is a proposal by the EC in October 2011 aiming to break down barriers resulting from different national sales laws and to provide consumers with more choice and a high level of protection.23 It will facilitate trade by offering a single set of rules for cross border contracts in all 28 EU countries. In February 2014 the proposal reached a majority in the European Parliament (EP).24 However, it has not been implemented and fully defined yet.25 1

3

Useful links

Digital Agenda for Europe (all relevant areas such as Cloud Computing, Telecoms as well as Trust & Security can be found on this website) A booklet on the Digital Agenda for Europe (summary) Digital Agenda Scoreboard About the Single Market Act II The complete proposals of the Single Market Act II, relevant points are key actions 8-10 (pages 12 – 14) Article: Ansip: ’Digital Single Market strategy will be ready in May’

23 A simulation video of how the CESL would look like put into practice 24 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-137_ de.htm 25 http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemdetail. cfm?item_type=259&lang=en&item_id=6

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ITRE I

Extending the Benefits

The use of digital technologies in key areas of public interest can help the EU tackle social challenges, while making it cheaper, faster and easier for citizens to interact with public bodies. How should the EU ensure the wider incorporation of ICT-enabled and supported benefits in its social policy?

by Anna Clara Ă–rtendahl (SE) & Ioanna Yiallourides (CY)

1. Explanation and relevance of problem

Prevalent social challenges in the EU include ensuring wider participation from the youth, increasing transparency in European politics, improving inclusivity of people in remote areas, and bridging the social gap with the ageing population. Some argue that digital solutions could be the answer to tackling these challenges and enable governments to connect more openly with their citizens. Now, one needs to consider how the EU can ensure that the benefits of technology reach every European citizen and explore ways to make governments more reachable across the continent. Prevalent social challenges in the EU include ensuring wider participation from the youth, increasing transparency in European politics, improving inclusivity of people in remote areas, and bridging the social gap with the ageing population.

Some argue that digital solutions could be the answer to tackling these challenges and enable governments to connect more openly with their citizens. Now, one needs to consider how the EU can ensure that the benefits of technology reach every European citizen and explore ways to make governments more reachable across the continent.

The use of digital technologies has been growing exponentially in Europe, with 78% of the population in the EU using Internet at least once in three months and 65% using Internet every day.1 Digital technologies, including the Internet, have a big impact on our everyday lives and have enormous potential to help tackle social challenges. However, there have only been fairly limited European and national initiatives for the integration and use of digital technologies within the public sector so far. The use of digital technologies in the corporate sector to improve work is exceedingly more advanced than in the public sector, where the usage of eGovernment tools and digital services is low. How can the EU encourage the integration and use of further digital technologies for the benefit of its citizens?

1

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Internet _and_cloud_services_-_statistics_on_the_use_by_individuals

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The Digital Agenda2 focuses on information and communications technologies’ (ICTs) capability to reduce energy consumption, support ageing citizens’ lives, revolutionise health services and deliver better public services.

ICTs can also drive forward the digitisation of Europe’s cultural heritage providing online access for all.

1

Indeed, an increase in public led innovation is needed, to improve the relationship between European governments and their citizens and to simplify processes. This is also required for the EU to become more accessible.3 There is still a lot to be done in exploring means of tackling social challenges by means of digital technologies and making democratic procedures easier, faster and more efficient.

2

Useful links

European Action Plan - eGovernment A study on eGovernment:A study on eGoverment Example of digital technologies

2. Key terms

• Digital Technologies refer to the design and use of computerised systems for work and communication.

• Information and communications technology (ICT) is an umbrella term for information technologies that stimulate communication.4 3

• Public body is an organisation whose work is part of the process of government, but is not a government department.5 4

• Social challenges are problems faced by individuals within the social sphere, some examples include low participation of the youth in politics, lack of transparency, lack of inclusivity of people in remote areas, fewer privileges to people who do not have internet and the ageing population.

• Social Policy is a broad term that refers to different policies that include human welfare, health care, human services, criminal justice, migration, inequality and labour.6 5

2 http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/our-goals 3 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/ Glossary:Digital_divide 4 http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/ICT-informa tion-and-communications-technology-or-technologies 5 http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/ public-body 6 http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/index. htm?CFID=74437125&CFTOKEN=79461522&jsessio

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• eGovernment is the interaction between citizens and government through digital means. The use of the ICTs in public administration is used to improve public service and democratic processes.7 1

• Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE) aims to reboot Europe’s economy and help Europe’s citizens and businesses to get the most out of digital technologies. It is the first of seven flagship initiatives under Europe 2020, the EU’s strategy to deliver smart sustainable and inclusive growth.8 2

• Private and Public Partnership (PPP) is a partnership that occurs when the public sector works together with a company or organisation in the private sector, and the private party provides a public service or project and assumes substantial financial, technical and operational risk in the project.

• eHealth is a term for healthcare practice supported by electronic processes and communication. ICT help provide European citizens with better and cheaper services for health and ageing well.9 3

3. Key facts and figures

• eGovernment services are few and - even where eGovernment services are offered - the majority of EU citizens are reluctant to use them. ICT can help the public sector develop innovative ways of delivering its services to citizens while unleashing efficiencies and driving down costs.10 4

• The introduction of ICT and telemedicine alone is estimated to improve efficiency of healthcare by 20%. Moreover, ICT empowers users of every age to better manage their health.11 5

• 75% of the European internet population is regular internet users.12 6

• 15% of the European population has never used the internet.13 7

• 73.3 % of Internet users who needed to contact a public body did so online in 2013.14 8

7 8 9 10

11 12

13

14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km3OheNEqHo https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/ https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/eu-policy-ehealth http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:07 43:FIN:EN:PDF http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/ehealth-and-ageing https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/sites/digital-agenda/files/ scoreboard_life_online.pdf https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/sites/digital-agenda/ files/scoreboard_life_online.pdf Developments in eGovernment in the EU 2014 (PDF)

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• The ICT sector represents 4.8% of the European economy.15 • 41 % of EU citizens prefer to be in personal contact with public bodies instead of using digital technologies and 30 % have a higher trust for paper submissions.16 2

• According to a study commissioned by the European Commision, the main barrier in the use of the Internet to contact public bodies is lack of trust.17 3

• In 2010, more than half (53 %) of persons with higher formal education used eGovernment services compared to only 12 % of persons with no or low formal education.18 4

Useful links

eGovernment statistics

ICT Enabled benefits ICT Enabled benefits

4. Key questions

What is the current status of ICT-enabled services on the European level?

How can digital technologies be used to tackle social issues?

To what extent should the private sector be involved in the welfare sector in the use of and creation of digital technologies?

Should the EU stimulate further research on ICT that could help tackle social challenges? If yes, how?

How can the EU support private led innovation for digital technologies? What can the EU do to improve these ICT Services?

To what extent should European governments and institutions use digital technologies?

15 http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/area/ ict-research-innovation 16 https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/news/eu-egovernme nt-report-2014-shows-usability-online-public-services-im proving-not-fast 17 Developments in eGovernment in the EU 2014 (PDF) 18 http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index. php/E-government_statistics

ITRE I | Academic Preparation | 32

What will be the structure used to streamline European and national initiatives in the sphere of eGovernment?

To what extent can eGovernment be used? What are its limitations?

5. Key conflicts

Cybersecurity/data security: The use of digital technologies can make the exchange of information between citizens and government easier, faster and more efficient through online platforms. Examples of this include voting online and filling in governmental forms. Nevertheless, it is also argued that the use of ICT could lead to surveillance of the citizens and that the collection of sensitive information can pose a security risk. In light of recent security scandals such as the Sony Hack,19 the lack of trust in sharing private information via the internet has increased. How can the EU ensure that eGovernment can be done in a secure way, so as not to place its citizens’ data at risk?

Digital Maturity: The use of digital technologies has grown rapidly in the past years and 65-75%20 of the European population are regular internet users. However, there is still evidence that 15% of the population has never used the internet,21 which is a hinder when it comes to using digital technologies to make government more accessible to citizens. One needs to consider to what extent the EU can use digital technologies without hindering the accessibility through traditional means for citizens not familiar with the internet, such as older generations and people in remote areas. One cannot overlook that not all Member States have the same digital capabilities, maturity and penetration of technology, including broadband. The implementation of eGovernment may be restricted in certain regions or within certain demographic groups.

3

The extent of the use of ICT can make administration more efficient and reduce costs.22 Therefore, the extent to which digital technologies are used in the public sector needs to be assessed bearing in mind to what extent they can still be seen as personal and take into account human nature and different situations. This is a relevant debate, especially in light of the FRONTEX border protection agency’s use of high technology to coordinate activities on the EU’s external borders and criticism with regards to human rights violations.23 4

5

19 20

21

22

23

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/dec/18/sony-hack-the-interview-timeline http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Internet_and_cloud_service s_-_statistics_on_the_use_by_individuals http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php/Internet_and_cloud_services_-_statistics_on_the_use_by_ individuals http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Internet_and_ cloud_services_-_statistics_on_the_use_by_individuals http://www.academia.edu/3529757/E-government_and_service_ orientation_gaps_between_theory_and_practic http://www.dw.de/eurosur-surveillance-or-protection-for-refugees /a-17262463 http://www.dw.de/eurosur-surveillance-orprotection-for-refugees/a-17262463

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Useful links

Criticism on Eurosur and the use of ICT Report: Digitizing Public Services in Europe - Putting ambition into action

6. Stakeholders

European Commission is actively supporting eGovernment and the use of ICT, both in Member States and on EU level. Several projects have been launched, such as the DAE and the European eGoverment Action Plan. The actions taken by the European Commission is in general based on PPP and the involvement of the private sector.

Member States (MS) are complex stakeholders without one distinguished interest; instead they are made up of several different actors such as parliament, administration and politicians. However, it is the MS that have the power to decide upon if and how eGoverning will be implemented on the MS level.24 It is important to bear in mind that the preconditions of implementing eGoverning and ICT in the administration are different in each MS and thus their motivations and ability to act varies.

1

Private sector does not have one single strategy to act and therefore one might argue that they should not be considered as a single unit. They are an important stakeholder in relation to this topic, particularly because they have great potential to contribute to the development of such technologies, both through financial support and know-how. Compared to the public sector, the private sector is often more flexible and experienced in integrating technology to their workflow. Despite increased calls to further involve the private sector in these processes, it should be kept in mind that the private sector is a rather complex shareholder to work with.

One of the most prevalent aims of the private sector, which is to make profit, might always influence actions taken by the private sector.

Citizens of the EU are the ones that will use the ICT when interacting with public bodies.

The knowledge level on how to use digital technologies varies between citizens and a further use of ICT could therefore make some feel excluded and find it more difficult to interact with public bodies.

Useful links

Gunther Ooettinger on Twitter

24 http://europa.eu/eu-law/decision-making/legal-acts/index_ en.htm

ITRE I | Academic Preparation | 34

7. Measures in place

Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE) is a part of the EU’s 2020 Strategy25 and aims to enhance the use of digital technologies with the aim to stimulate the EU economy26 by opening up legal access to online content,27 supporting the European Social Fund28 and facilitating electronic payments and invoicing.29 1

3

4

5

European eGovernment Action Plan 2011-2015 is an action plan based on the Malmö Declaration30 and a part of the DAE that aims to develop eGoverment within the EU Member States and in the EU.31 6

7

Digital Social Platforms for Societal Challenges is a platform created by the EU that brings together several stakeholders with the goal to, as a part of the Horizon 2020, develop technologies that can help tackle social challenges by making it transition easier between business and market.32 8

ICT Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP) (2007-2013) is a part of the DAE that provided EU support to projects,33 primely SMEs, that developed and stimulated the use of ICT.34 9

10

European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is a EU body that addresses Europe’s innovation gap by traineeships, bringing together stakeholders and stimulating research on ICT.35 11

Horizon 2020 is a part of the EU 2020 and aims to stimulate economic growth within the EU and create sustainable jobs by coupling research and innovation.36 12

Useful links

Digital Agenda Europe on Twitter European eGovernment Action Plan 2011-2015 25 26 27 28 29 30

31

32 33

34

35 36

http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/index_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/news/ict-enabled-public-sector-innovation-h2020 http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/information_society/strategies/si0016_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/esf/main.jsp?catId=35&langId=en http://ec.europa.eu/finance/payments/sepa/index_en.htm https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/sites/digital-agenda/files/ministerial-declarationon-egovernment-malmo.pdf http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0743:FIN: EN:PDF http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/connect/en/content/digital-social-platforms http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/apps/projects/index.cfm?menu =secondary&prog_id=IPSP http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/apps/projects/index.cfm? menu=secondary&prog_id=IPSP http://eit.europa.eu http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/whathorizon-2020

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LIBE

Balancing the Internet ecosystem

In light of the ruling of the CJEU in Case C-131/12 and the 2014 recommendations of the Article 29 Working Party, what balance should the EU establish between the safeguarding of the personal data and the ability of search engines to continue providing services that citizens within the EU have become accustomed to?

by Hannes Ahlvin (SE) & Jeroen de Marteau (BE) 1. Explanation and relevance of problem

In 2014 nearly 400 million EU citizens accessed the internet.1 Over three quarters of individuals (78%) in the EU used the internet at least once in the three months prior to the survey and just under two thirds of all EU citizens (65%) used the internet every day or almost every day.2 Despite such high levels of usage, the current EU Data Protection Directive is from 1995 when less than 1% of EU citizens used the internet.3 Due to the outdated nature of the Directive, the European Parliament and the European Commission have been discussing how to update its legislation in the form of a Regulation, the General Data Protection Regulation, which would therefore be enforceable automatically in every EU Member State through direct effect. However, currently there are serious differences in the protection systems of the EU28. This has raised doubts as to whether the new Regulation can be agreed upon before the end of 2015.

Furthermore, in Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) decision in the Google v Costeja case,4 the ‘right to be forgotten’ was concluded to be part of the right to privacy - a right which is fundamental and protected by the EU as such.5 This decision has brought to the forefront a discussion on the extent to which a person should be able to be forgotten. At what point does it overstep others’ rights of free expression and to remember?6

1 http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats4.htm#europe 2 http://goo.gl/Y6Vwr2 3 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12-46_en.htm 4 ECJ C-131/12, Google Spain v AEPD and Mario Costeja Gonzalez, 2014.

5 Art. 7 jo. 8 EU Charter and art. 16 TFEU. 6 For example, whether a politician can make use of his right to be

forgotten to delete information of a fraudulent case he was

involved in; or does the public deserve to know and be able to

remember/recall this information on the internet?

36 | Academic Preparation | LIBE

Another relevant issue is the way in which data controllers utilise or even sell personal data to generate income, often through behavioural advertising which displays advertisements specifically targeted to the data subject based on its previous search patterns. Such advertisement is more effective at generating revenue, but can also be considered to be more intrusive due to its nature of analysing the data subject. Attempts to limit the ability of companies to use such data would impact on their revenue and subsequently their ability to provide quality services at reasonable prices or for free.

Useful links

EU lawmaker warns of data protection rules delay till 2016

2. Key terms

Administrative burden; the cost of a business’ operations to comply with legal frameworks.

Behavioural advertising: a “smart� type of advertising that is based on search patterns and personal data of individuals (data subjects) to target provide them with ads that they are more likely to be interested in.

Personal data: any information relating to an identified or identifiable person. This includes any expression of opinion about the individual and any other indication of the intentions of the data controller or any other person in respect of the individual.

Data controller: a person (i.e. recognised by law) who determines the purposes for and the manners in which any personal data are processed.

Data subject: is a term to refer to any individual who is the subject of some form of personal data.

Right to be forgotten: a component of EU human rights legislation - though not a component of universal human rights. The right allows individuals (data subjects) to have information, videos, or photographs of themselves deleted from internet records so that they cannot be found by search engines through a search of their names.

Sensitive data: concerns three main types of personal data, concerning: (1) racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs or trade union membership; (2) health or sex life; (3) offences, criminal convictions, or security measures.

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Right to privacy: the legal term for the protection of individuals against both governments and other individuals that threatens their privacy. Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves, or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The right to privacy is protected by Art. 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. Freedom of expression: According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, freedom of expression is the right of every individual to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. It is also protected under Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. EU Regulations: are binding secondary legislation from the EU, and are immediately enforceable as law in all Member States in their entirety. Regulations can be distinguished from Directives which need to be transposed into national law.

Useful links

Video explaining key data protection concepts Video infographic about EU data protection Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU

3. Key questions

• How does one balance an individual’s right to be forgotten with other people’s right to remember, and to be able to subsequently tell others what they remember?

• Who should be afforded protection within the scope of data protection? Which cases should fall beyond the scope of data protection?

• How do we strike a fair balance between the freedom of expression of the authors and the right to privacy of the subjects?

• Who decides when information should be deleted (e.g. search engines, individuals, governments, the EU)?

• How can the EU assist companies, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in dealing with the administrative burden as well as the potential harm to advertising revenue resulting from any further restriction on personal data usage?

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4. Key facts & figures7 1

• Just over a quarter of social network users (26%) and even fewer online shoppers (18%) feel in complete control of their personal data.

• 74% of Europeans see disclosing personal information as an increasing part of modern life.

• 43% of Internet users say they have been asked for more personal information than necessary.

• Only one-third of Europeans are aware of the existence of a national public authority responsible for data protection (33%).

• 90% of Europeans want the same data protection rights across the EU.

7 http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_359_ en.pdf

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5. Key conflicts

As previously stated, the ECJ ruling in Case C-131/12 has led to the indirect implementation of the right to be forgotten in EU legislation. This, however, does not mean that the controversy surrounding this right has subsided.

Gabrielle Guillemin, Article 19’s senior legal officer,8 said: ”In the debate over the right to be forgotten, we must not forget freedom of expression. Data protection must never be used as a trump card simply in order to protect individuals from embarrassing information that was already lawfully in the public domain. […] We believe personal data contained in historical records should remain in the public domain unless the data subject can establish substantial harm by it being public. Gabrielle Guillemin, Article 19’s senior legal officer , said: ”In the debate over the right to be forgotten, we must not forget freedom of expression. Data protection must never be used as a trump card simply in order to protect individuals from embarrassing information that was already lawfully in the public domain. […] We believe personal data contained in historical records should remain in the public domain unless the data subject can establish substantial harm by it being public.”

1

The European Commission has stated that in the proposed new Regulation, replacing the 1995 Directive, will include an exception to the freedom of expression to cover the right to be forgotten. But how do we consistently balance these two fundamental rights in a fair way?

And, perhaps even more importantly, who decides when information should be deleted? And if a decision has been made, can the writer of the source article then contest this decision somehow?

Ms. Guillemin also stated that “Search engines are not, nor should they be, the censors of the internet, and should not be put in the position of deciding what information is ’adequate, relevant or no longer relevant’ based solely on individual complaints.” Who decides what is public knowledge – and therefore cannot be deleted anymore – and what is still considered to be personal information? Critics of the right to be forgotten fear that this right might be misused by some to whitewash their history. Given that the right to be forgotten might be used to mask someone’s past, where should the line be drawn between the right to be forgotten and censorship? Ms. Guillemin also stated that “Search engines are not, nor should they be, the censors of the internet, and should not be put in the position of deciding what information is ’adequate, relevant or no longer relevant’ based solely on individual complaints.” Who decides what is public knowledge – and therefore cannot be deleted anymore – and what is still considered to be personal information? Critics of the right to be forgotten fear that this right might be misused by some to whitewash their history. Given that the right to be forgotten might be used to mask someone’s past, where should the line be drawn between the right to be forgotten and censorship?

8 Article 19 is an independent London-based human rights

organisation with a specific focus on the defence and

promotion of freedom of expression and freedom of information.

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This being said, some question whether or not the right to be forgotten as outlined in the new Regulation will go far enough. Until now, the right to be forgotten only concerns search engines. It does not give individuals the right to request that the source should be deleted. They can only request that the search link to the source should be deleted. This being said, some question whether or not the right to be forgotten as outlined in the new Regulation will go far enough. Until now, the right to be forgotten only concerns search engines. It does not give individuals the right to request that the source should be deleted. They can only request that the search link to the source should be deleted.

Useful links

Freedom of expression complicates EU law on ’right to be forgotten’ Right to be forgotten does not trump media freedom, EU claims How far will EU citizens’ ’right to be forgotten’ extend?

Article 19’s call to Google over ’right to be forgotten’ ruling The right be forgotten EC factsheet

6. Stakeholders

The Data Protection Working Party established by Article 29 of the Data Protection Directive - or Article 29 Working Party in short - provides the European Commission with independent advice on data protection matters, and helps in the development of harmonised policies for data protection in Member States. This advice will be used by the European Commission in the proposition for the new Regulation on data protection it is currently working. This Regulation is meant to reform the current Data Protection Directive dating from 1995. Key changes will , among other things, entail: the legal enshrinement of ‘the right to be forgotten’ and the requirement of explicit consent for use of data.9 1

Citizens of the EU, whose data privacy is protected under the regulation of EU legislation, can request that their personal information is deleted from search engines (such as Google, Yahoo, Bing etc). These search engines are held accountable as data controllers ever since the ruling of the CJEU in the Google v Costeja case.

Useful links

Art. 29 Working Party

___________ 9 http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/document/re view2012/factsheets/1_en.pdf

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7. Measures in place

The 1995 Data Protection Directive (Directive 95/46/EC), which regulates both the protection of personal data whether it is automated or not, is still the current legal framework concerning data protection within the EU to date. The Commission is, however, working on a proposal for a new Regulation (the ‘General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)’) to replace the 1995 Directive. The Commission has the competency to initiate such legislation under Art. 16 TFEU and Art. 288 TFEU. The Commission explained its reasoning behind the proposal: “The direct applicability of a Regulation [...] will reduce legal fragmentation and provide greater legal certainty by introducing a harmonised set of core rules, improving the protection of fundamental rights of individuals and contributing to the functioning of the Internal Market.” The 1995 Data Protection Directive (Directive 95/46/EC), which regulates both the protection of personal data whether it is automated or not, is still the current legal framework concerning data protection within the EU to date. The Commission is, however, working on a proposal for a new Regulation (the ‘General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)’) to replace the 1995 Directive. The Commission has the competency to initiate such legislation10 under Art. 16 TFEU and Art. 288 TFEU. The Commission explained its reasoning behind the proposal: “The direct applicability of a Regulation [...] will reduce legal fragmentation and provide greater legal certainty by introducing a harmonised set of core rules, improving the protection of fundamental rights of individuals and contributing to the functioning of the Internal Market.” 11 1

2

The new Regulation will create a legal base for the ‘right to be forgotten’, which, as mentioned above arose from the Google v Costeja case. This dispute arose when Mr González wanted a court to force a Spanish newspaper and Google to remove date about him, because a search of his name in Google produced articles, dating sixteen years previously, concerning a real-estate auction connected to unpaid taxes. Mr. González argued that he had paid the debt a number of years back and that reference to them was now entirely irrelevant. The CJEU ruled in favour of Mr. González, holding that (1) servers providing services within the EU fall under the scope of EU law regardless of their physical location, that (2) search engines are indeed controllers of data and as such responsible under EU law, and finally that (3) the right to be forgotten should be respected by search engines.

10

11

The commission is the only EU body which possesses the right of initiative, which means that the commission is the only EU body that can propose laws to be made.

General Data Protection Regulation pages 5 & 6

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Useful links

Summary of the 1995 Directive on Data Protection Proposed reform by the Commission 2014 Recommendation of the art. 29 Working Party Google v Costeja (Case C‑131/12) For a more comprehensive list of EU Data Protection law, regulations, and case law

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ENVI

The Dangerous Fall

The recent drop in oil prices is having a negative impact on the global investment in clean energy, with the share prices of many European green energy companies falling below the broader market. How should the EU best drive its clean energy agenda forward in a prolonged period of low crude prices?

by Erik Lewenhaupt (SE) & Tobias Satlow (AT) 1. Explanation of the Problem/Relevance of the topic

Our planet is changing in ways that will have profound impacts on all of humankind.

– Barack Obama With global temperatures on the rise, tackling climate change has become of utmost importance. Implementing a low carbon economy has been one of the EU’s cornerstones when it comes to policy making. Since the establishment of the Maastricht treaty, concrete goals have been set in order to cut back on emissions and promote stable growth while respecting the environment. Many different approaches have been undertaken since, in order to implement actions aimed at climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Transitioning into a green, low- carbon economy is not only beneficial for the environment, but also strategically important for Europe’s economic objectives. Research and investment in this field will help boost EU’s competitiveness and create jobs in a variety of fields. To this end, the EU has put forth several Roadmaps, White Papers and Strategies in order to decrease amount of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. The 2020, 2030 and 2050 strategies include different targets the EU has to achieve in order to successfully achieve its long-term target of becoming a competitive low carbon economy.

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The clean energy agenda is one of the most important pillars of the EU’s transition to a low carbon economy.

Investments in clean, renewable energy sources are increasing annually and have amounted to $264 billion in 2014, which is an increase by $50 billion since the previous year.1 As has been illustrated above, the 2030 strategy aims at doubling the rate of GHG emission reduction. With energy demands rising all over Europe, be it from the transportation sector, private households or industries, these goals seem difficult to achieve.

What makes matters worse though, is that the price for a barrel of oil (= common measurement unit) has decreased by roughly 60 percent since last June. With that in mind, investors are shying away from green energy and turning their funds more towards fossil fuels again. This dramatic decrease in crude oil prices has not found its way into the consumers mind and wallet as of yet. While an astonishing decrease of fuel prices could be noticed in some EU countries, the changes have not had much impact in the whole of EU yet.

Despite this, it is necessary to consider that a prolonged period of low oil prices will eventually hit the consumer’s end of the market and can thereby decrease the interest in green energy further.

In such a climate, EU has to align its energy policy and labour policy to ease the transition towards a low carbon economy where ’green jobs’ are increasing. The already existing green energy companies should be protected against possible effects of the decrease in oil prices, while the introduction of new green technologies are encouraged. How can the EU make use of its different policy tools to promote the use and research of green and sustainable energy sources in the face of these challenges?

Useful links

EU climate action To read more on climate change and EU’s policies on tackling climate change Oil prices and green investments Oil price slump puts at risk clean energy push: experts The Economic And Strategic Implications Of Low Oil Prices Seize the day - The fall in the price of oil and gas provides a once-in-a-generation

opportunity to fix bad energy policies Clean energy Framework explained of 2030 climate goals Let there be light -Thanks to better technology and improved efficiency, energy is becoming cleaner and more plentiful

1 http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-oil-price-slump- puts-at-risk-clean-energy-push-experts-2015

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2. Key Terms

• Climate change is a pattern of change affecting global or regional climate, as measured by yardsticks such as average temperature and rainfall, or an alteration in frequency of extreme weather conditions. Both natural processes and human activity may cause this variation. Global warming is one aspect of climate change.

• Eco investing or green investments are traditional investment vehicles (such as stocks, exchange-traded funds and mutual funds) in which the underlying business(es) are somehow involved in operations aimed at improving the environment.

• Renewable energy sources (RES) are generally defined as sources which are naturally replenished on a human timescale such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat.

• Green economy is defined as an economy that results in reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment.

• Low-carbon economy (LCE) is an economy that has a minimal output of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the environment biosphere, but specifically refers to the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. Its reliance on low carbon energy sources heavily reduces GHG emissions.

• Green energy incentives are a variety of tax credits, rebates and other incentives to support energy efficiency, encourage the use of renewable energy sources, and support efforts to conserve energy and lessen pollution. These can be offered by government agencies, international organizations, private sector and others. They are mostly divided into two categories: • Financial incentives include financial support for new product, services or production process development.

• Non- financial incentives include different forms of support such as assistance with identifying potential markets or customers, technical support or consultancy for new product, services or production process development or consultancy for marketing or distribution.

• Green job is one that directly works with information, technologies, or materials that preserves or restores environmental quality. This requires specialized skills, knowledge, training, or experience.

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• Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the process of capturing waste carbon dioxide from major emission sources, such as fossil fuels power plants, and transport it into a storage site, hence preventing it from entering the atmosphere. The European Commission has identified CCS as a key climate emission curbing tool.

Useful links

For a comprehensive glossary of terms related to climate change refer to: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-11833685 http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/glossary.html#B

3. Key Questions

• What are the already existing incentives through which the EU is supporting green companies? Can these be changed or improved to provide additional support to the private sector?

• Are the renewable energy targets in the proposed plans and their implementation level a good enough incentive to drive the clean energy agenda forward? Should it be at the MS level instead? Are there some changes that need to be made?

• Are there certain foreign policy/trade tools the EU should make use of to lessen the potential impact of falling crude prices?

4. Key facts and figures

• The EU has successfully reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by over 18% since 1990.

In doing so, it has proven that economic growth and decrease in emissions are not necessarily mutually exclusive scenarios, as the EU’s economy has grown by more than 40% over the same period.

• The renewable energy industry in Europe has increased its work from 230 000 to 550 000 between 2008 and 2013. Meeting the 2020 target of obtaining 20% of EU’s energy from renewables could create an extra 410 000 jobs across the EU in related sectors.

• The price of a barrel of oil at January 2014 was $110 per barrel. In late December it was $50 per barrel. The graph below shows the trend displayed by oil prices (worldwide market/consumer prices).

• The Commission estimates that reaching the EU’s 20% energy saving target by 2020 could reduce EU oil imports by the equivalent of 2.6bn barrels a year and potentially help the EU save up to €200bn a year, which is nearly the size of the Finnish economy.1

1 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/ attachment_data/file/253029/Green_Growth_Group_Joint_ Pamphlet.pdf

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• There are significant differences between the levels of renewable energy produced by Member States. The graph below shows sources of energy production in the EU 28 as of 2012: • The EU28 is the world’s leading importer of oil and gas due to a lack of resources on its own territory. Most noteworthy are Russia, Canada, Australia, Niger and Kazakhstan when it comes to the import of said resources.4 1

Useful links

Some facts on climate change in general For more facts that are specific to Europe

Figure 1: Graph showing the trend of crude oil prices in 2014 http://www.infomine.com/investment/metal-prices/crude-

4

http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2014/06/17/questionsanswers-ukraine-crisis-energy-europe/

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5. Key conflicts

The current high supply of oil has resulted in a significant drop in oil prices, which is harmful for many reasons. It will increase the consumption of fossil fuels as they will be cheap, but it will also undermine clean energy investments. The lack of interest in green energy investments will, like a chain reaction, decrease the share prices on energy hence yielding a lower return on investment, which in turn makes the green investments less desirable.

Furthermore, the EU clean energy agenda for 2020 plans to reduce GHG emissions, increase the use of renewable energy, clean energy sources, and enhance energy efficiency. However, it is noteworthy that 14 out the 28 member states are expected to fail to reach these goals.5 1

General consensus is that a short term decrease in oil price will not be a decisive factor for the development of clean energy sources, as most wind and solar power are driven largely by national incentive schemes. However, a prolonged period of low crude prices could pose significant issues for green energy investments.6 2

In such an environment, the EU has to develop policies that will support green companies against the eventual effects the fall in oil prices will have. This requires an approach aimed at creating more green jobs, supporting green small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and encouraging consumers to prefer green energy. Differences across Member States’ willingness and capacity to implement these policies should also addressed when discussing these policies.

Useful links

United Arab Emirates (UAE) says falling oil prices will not impact clean energy Will oil’s drop hurt renewable energy?

How Will Plummeting Oil Prices Impact Renewables?

Why cheap oil will not wreck the prospects for renewable energy – this time around We make our own - Renewables are no longer a fad but a fact of life, supercharged by advances in power storage

5 http://cleantechnica.com/2014/10/07/14-european-union- member-states-will-miss-2020-targets/ 6 http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/d328ee8a-8605-11e4- a105-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3Rrh5Zo8n

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6. Stakeholders

The European Commission plays a central role in shaping and implementing the EU’s policies on climate change.

Connie Hedegaard is the current Commissioner who is in charge of the climate action portfolio. Functions of the Commission include: • developing and implementing EU climate action policies and strategies, • representing the EU in international climate negotiations together with the Presidency of the Council of the EU, • implementing the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS),7 • monitoring the EU countries’ implementation of emission reduction targets in sectors outside the ETS,promoting the transition to a low-carbon economy based on clean technologies, • managing the EU budget, 20% of which is allocated to support climate action.8 1

2

It should be noted that EU’s competence on environmental issues is a shared competence.9 This means that both the EU and the Member States would have the power to legislate on the issue; however, Member States would exercise this power to the extent that the Union has not exercised its competence.10 3

4

Directorate General for Climate Action (DG-CLIMA)11 leads international negotiations on climate, helps the EU deal with the consequences of climate change and meet its targets for 2020, as well as develops and implements the EU Emissions Trading System.

5

Member States (MS) also take specific national action on climate change. In relation with the European Climate Change Programme, each of the Member States have put in place domestic actions that build up on existing measures. Article 193 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFUE) sets the principle of minimum harmonisation of the EU environmental policy and legislation, which means that Member States can keep the EU goals or adopt more stringent measures as long as they respect the Treaty.

European Investment Bank (EIB)12 provides funds in areas of sustainability, competitiveness in energy supply, energy efficiency technology and supply security.

6

Useful links

More information on DG CLIMA

7 8 9

10 11

12

http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/ets/index_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/clima/news/articles/news_2013111901en.htm Article 4/II/e of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFUE) Article 2 of the TFUE http://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data-providers-andpartners/directorate-general-for-climate-action http://www.eib.org/

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7. Measures in place

Climate change is an immense task to tackle, requiring several different approaches. The leaders in the EU have decided upon numerous frameworks for near and distant future in attempt to halt climate change. The previously mentioned 2020 framework calls for a 20% reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels, raising the share of EU energy consumption produced from renewable resources to 20%, and a 20% improvement in the EU’s energy efficiency. In October 2014, the leaders of the EU decided upon the framework for the 2030 climate and energy policies, aiming to create a sustainable development for EU by further reducing the emissions by 40%, targeting 27% use of renewable energy sources and another 27% for further efficiency.

The White Paper on Transport (Transport 205013) is a roadmap of 40 concrete initiatives for the next decades to build a competitive transport system that will increase mobility, remove major barriers in key areas and fuel growth and employment. At the same time, the proposals will dramatically reduce Europe’s dependence on imported oil and cut carbon emissions in transport by 60% by 2050. The White Paper on Transport (Transport 2050 ) is a roadmap of 40 concrete initiatives for the next decades to build a competitive transport system that will increase mobility, remove major barriers in key areas and fuel growth and employment. At the same time, the proposals will dramatically reduce Europe’s dependence on imported oil and cut carbon emissions in transport by 60% by 2050.

However, setting goals let alone is not enough if there are no means to achieve them. In order to do so, the EU has created incentives that seek to increase the prosperity of green energy companies. One of the world’s largest funding programmes for low carbon demonstration projects is NER 30014. Its purpose is to increase the uses of safe carbon capturing and storing, as well as innovative renewable energy technologies on a commercial level within the EU. It is jointly managed by the European Commission and the European Investment bank.

2

Green companies are also supported through various EU programmes aimed at creation of green jobs and protection of green SMEs. One important instrument in this regard is the European Social Fund. The ESF is Europe’s main instrument for supporting jobs, helping people get better jobs and ensuring fairer job opportunities for all EU citizens. Sustainable development and aco-technology is one of the focus areas of the ESF. ESF can potentially play an important role in facilitating the shift to a low-carbon economy from a labour market perspective, and this is already noticeable in the widespread mainstreaming of sustainable development within the ESF Operational Programmes.

13 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-11-372_en.htm 14 http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/lowcarbon/ner300/ index_en.htm

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Useful links

This report details different types of support provided to green SMEs and assessed their efficiency More information on the European Social Fund A project that was successfully implemented in Spain with the support of the EU More information on the 2020 Framework More information on the 2030 Framework More information on the 2050 Roadmap

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CLIM

The next step in climate finance

The EU is currently the largest contributor of climate finance to developing countries, supporting them in reducing GHG emissions and in adapting to the consequences of climate change. How should the EU further integrate climate change in its broader development strategy and ensure that its support is translated into meaningful mitigation action?

Rebecca Smith (FR) & Nicklas Kövamees (SE)

1. Explanation of the Problem/Relevance of the topic

The EU’s development strategy aims to achieve sustainable development, which means meeting the needs of the present without compromising future generations in meeting their own needs.1 It recognises a few key challenges, the most important one being climate change.

The first long-term specific objective of the strategy is to limit climate change and its effects.2 The EU aims to develop a “green” economy with a low carbon output, which would fill goals of mitigation, as well as improving developing countries’ ability to adapt to consequences of climate change.3 While developing countries constitute a large potential for increased future greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and thereby increased climate impact, they typically have little financial resources available to counter the increase of GHG emissions. Many developed countries have recognised these difficulties, and have therefore initiated a series of initiatives to increase the financial resources available for countering climate change in developing countries.

Indeed, one of the areas of tangible progress in international climate change action has been financing climate change action in developing countries.4 One of the problems, however, is that while the need for climate finance has been agreed on to be considerable, the present-day availability is sparse. For example the United Nations’ Green Climate Fund, which aims to raise $100 billion of international climate finance by 2020, only received $10.2 billion during 2014.5 One of the main contributors is the EU, a global leader in climate change action. Acknowledging that this is a global issue, the EU focuses much of its attention on supporting developing countries. Climate change and development policies are becoming more and more integrated, as their interaction is being recognised.

1 2 3

4

5

Europa: strategy for sustainable development Europa: strategy for sustainable development Increasing the impact of EU Development Policy: an Agenda for Change, European Commission, 2011 This was one of the main areas of agreement at the COP in Copenhagen Green Climate Fund, UNFCC

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The EU follows multiple strategies for climate change action, and in particular climate finance, simultaneously. As a shared policy area, development aid and climate action is being pursued by both the European Commission and individual Member States, some of them in collaboration with other international actors. As a result, the EU’s climate change and development strategy is difficult to define, as it follows several objectives, partnerships and mechanisms.

One of the main tools for the EU’s sustainable development strategy is Innovative Financing Instruments, and in particular blending. Blending is seen as a strategy for bringing in necessary private and public funding to complement government and donor funds.6 It attracts investment for projects by reducing risks, which is particularly significant in developing countries where often the financial systems are weak.7 1

2

Useful links

Increasing the impact of EU Development Policy: an Agenda for Change, communication by the European Commission Eu strategy for sustainable development Policy Brief: Climate change challenges for European Development Cooperation: issues towards 2020 Overseas Development Institute: report on EU blending facilities

2. Key terms

• Climate change is a long-term change in the regional and global climate, due to the great increase of GHGs in the atmosphere linked to human activity. It can be measured for example as changes in average temperature and sea levels or as changes in the frequency of extreme weather conditions. Climate change has many disruptive effects, including increases in extreme weather (hot and cold), drought, hurricanes, sea level rise, and ocean acidification.

• Mitigation is action aiming to reduce man-made climate change. Mitigation actions include reducing GHG emissions and trying to capture GHGs from the atmosphere.

• Adaptation is action seeking to reduce the impact of the consequences of climate change, for example by constructing barriers to protect against rising sea levels.

6 European Commission: Innovative Financing Instruments (blending) 7 Private Equity in Africa, The Economist, 24 Jan 2015

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• Climate finance refers to financing directed towards climate change mitigation and adaptation measures.

Climate finance can come from both private and public entities, and is generally channelled through national and international organisations. Climate finance usually comes in the form of subsidised interest rate debt, market rate debt, equity or grants.

• Financial intermediaries are, in the context of climate finance, financial institutions which which channel capital from its financiers to borrowers in need of money. Financial intermediaries can be both public (such as banks, private equity funds and venture capital funds) as well as public, bi- or multilateral (such as the European Investment Bank and the Green Climate Fund).

• Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are ventures with commitments from both public and private entities, typically on project level. PPPs can for example be used for financing, constructing and/or operating infrastructure projects, when sufficient public funding is not available. PPPs can allow for projects to be completed sooner or sometimes at all, but have been criticised for sometimes letting the public parties bear the risks whilst giving the private parties the returns..

• Multilateral: involving more than two parties. This can apply to international agreements, or funding channels. For example, a climate funding initiative raising funds from all Member States is a multilateral initiative.

• Bilateral: involving only two parties. For example, a climate funding initiative occurring between the German government and specific projects in developing countries is a bilateral initiative.

• Blending facilities: it is an innovative financing instrument used in the EU for international cooperation and development. It combines EU grants with loans or equity from public and private financiers, in order to lessen the risk for additional financiers and henceattract financing.1

3. Key questions

• How should different priorities in climate change finance be balanced?

• How should the EU cooperate with other global climate finance initiatives?

• How should the various climate finance initiatives of the European Commission and Member States be brought together in a coherent EU-wide climate finance strategy?

• Is blending a successful way of providing climate finance in developing countries, or should alternatives be favoured?

1

European Commission: Innovative Financing Instruments (blending)

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4. Key facts and figures

• Estimates of global annual economic losses for additional temperature increases of ~2°C are between 0.2 and 2.0% of income.9 1

• The additional investment and financial flows in 2030 to address climate change amounts to 0.3 to 0.5% of global domestic product in 2030 and 1.1 - 1.7% of global investment in 2030.10 2

• Investment flows to developing countries is estimated at about 46% of the total needed in 2030. The resulting emission reductions achieved by those countries in 2030 would amount to 68% of global emission reductions.11 3

• Additional investment and financial flows for adaptation in developing countries is estimated between USD 28 to 67 billion.12 4

• Climate finance flows between OECD and non-OECD countries13 have been illustrated below: 5

Useful links

Statistics on climate finance in 2014 (graphs at the bottom): Fact sheet: Financing climate change action. Investment and financial flows for a strengthened response to climate change

9 These are incomplete because of global economic impacts are difficult to estimate,

due to their complexity and uncertainty around the future functioning of natural

systems. From the Climate Change 2014: impacts, adaptation, vulnerability, IPCC

Working Group II, summary for policy makers report These are incomplete because of

global economic impacts are difficult to estimate, due to their complexity and

uncertainty around the future functioning of natural systems. From the Climate Change 2014: impacts, adaptation, vulnerability, IPCC Working Group II, summary for

policy makers report 10 Fact sheet: Financing climate change action Investment and financial flows for a strengthened response to climate change, UNFCCC 11 ibid 12 ibid 13 Climate Policy Initiative. Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2014 (2014). Climate Policy Initiative. Global Landscape of Climate Finance 2014 (2014).

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The graph illustrates that even though the EU is the single largest contributor, climate finance sourced from the EU only constitutes a small share of climate finance in developing countries.

5. Key conflicts

One of the key challenges of European climate finance is coherence, both in terms of principles, and in terms of actions by its various actors. Climate finance intends to follow many different principles, and each are complied with at varying degrees. As an example, several new initiatives have sprung up in recent years to channel international climate finance in new ways, which is contrary to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.14 The EU’s support thus appears to be channeled in so many different areas that some contradict each other. Different initiatives use different disbursement methods, such as budget support or working with the private sector.

14 The Paris Declaration (2005) is a practical, action-oriented roadmap to improve the quality of aid and its impact on development. It gives a series of specific implementtion measures and establishes a monitoring system to assess progress and ensure that donors and recipients hold each other accountable for their commitments The Paris Declaration (2005) is a practical, action-oriented roadmap to improve the quality of aid and its impact on development. It gives a series of specific implementation measures and establishes a monitoring system to assess progress and ensure that donors and recipients hold each other accountable for their commitments.

Read more here

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The second issue of coherence concerns actions taken by its various actors. Climate change and development aid are shared policy areas for the EU and Member States.15 Any climate policy adopted by the EU is binding for its Member States, whilst in the area of development aid, any EU policy adopted must not interfere with the Member States’ ability to execute their own policies. In other words, the EU has its own policy in the area of development aid, but it cannot affect the policies of its Member States.16 An important challenge is to harmonise the EU’s actions, considering all the different Member States’ actions as well as those of EU institutions, while respecting the competencies of each. A key issue is whether or not national climate funding initiatives complement the broader European strategy.

In particular, the ETF-IW, an initiative of the UK government, is working through the World Bank’s Climate Investment Funds rather than through the European Commission’s initiatives.

2

Although the integration of climate change and development policies can be seen as positive, there is currently no clear definition of the separation between the two, which creates problems of measuring and transparency. In addition, the attempt to create a new institutional architecture to handle climate change change is distracting from the effort to define what needs to be funded. Currently, funding modalities guide activities, whereas they should be responsive to country needs.17 In other words, it is important that the EU’s climate strategies are guided by needs, rather than needs adapt themselves to the EU’s strategies.

3

Finally, some key challenges to climate change finance are timelessness and predictability.

Different measures fulfill these two criteria to varying degrees. Usually bilateral initiatives are timelier than multilateral ones, and funding based from countries’ aid budgets can be less predictable, varying on the state of the donor country’s economy when the commitments are not binding. Timelessness and predictability are rather important for the receiver countries to fulfill their climate change action needs.

Useful links

Securing European Coherence on Climate Finance

15 Article 4 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) 16 Article 4. 4 of the TFEU 17 Policy Brief: Climate change challenges for European De velopment Cooperation: issues towards 2020

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6. Stakeholders

The European Commission, and the Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA) are key players in designing and implementing the EU’s policies on climate change. The European Commission also administers the EU’s budget, with DG CLIMA administering international climate finance amongst other things and the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) executing the EU’s general international development strategy.

The Council of the European Union also gathers all Member States’ governments, which all have different national climate ambition and development aims.

Developing countries typically strive for economic growth and development, and their governments often receive aid and financing from industrialised countries and actors such as the EU. Whilst the least developed countries currently stand for a fractional share of global GHG emissions, they are also amongst those suffering the most from climate change.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are involved in global development, often through volunteer work and aid. Many NGOs also try to influence climate and environmental policies.

Private companies and the research community also play a key role by developing the technologies necessary to reach the climate and development goals set forth by the EU and the international community.

Useful links

Directorate-General for Climate Action Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development

7. Measures in place

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is one in a series of international agreements on global environmental issues, aiming to prevent “dangerous” human interference with the climate system. The UNFCCC laid the ground for the Kyoto Protocol, aiming to reduce global GHG emissions to 5.2 % below 1990 levels until 2012.

An extension of the Kyoto Protocol to 2020 is also currently under negotiation. The United Nations’ COP in Durban 2011 resulted in the Durban Outcomes, aiming to establish a new international climate treaty by 2015, to enter force by 2020.18

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The UNFCCC’s Durban platform explained, Holman Fenwick Willan

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The Green Climate Fund is a fund established within the framework of the UNFCCC, which aims to raise climate finance of $100 billion annually by 2020. Established as part of the Cancun Agreement in 201019 and reiterated in the Doha Climate Gateway in 2012,20 it began operating in 2014. In December 2014, it had raised $10.2 billion - in line with its goal for 2014 of $10 billion.21 3

The EU’s development strategy seeks to eradicate poverty in developing countries by promoting sustainable development and democracy.22 The development policy incorporates many different tools, in particular blending facilities. These combine EU grants, loans, as well as public and private finance.

4

The European Commission has led multiple climate financing initiatives. Three of the main ones are the Global Climate Change Alliance, the Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund, and the Global Climate Financing Mechanism.

The Global Climate Change Alliance was established in 2007, to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with developing countries, in particular least developed countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).23 It is a significant global climate initiative, and works by fostering cooperation on climate change with developing countries most vulnerable.

5

The European Commission has also launched the Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund (GEEREF) initiative from the European Commission. It is an innovative risk capital fund, managed by the European Investment Bank Group, which aims to accelerate the transfer, development and deployment of environmentally sound technologies in developing countries.24 6

The Global Climate Financing Mechanism (GCFM) is another initiative from the European Commission. It is based on the idea of an “International Finance Facility”. This is thought of as a temporary measure, to be used before an international agreement on climate change finance by the UNFCCC.25 7

19 Cancun Agreement, UNFCCC 20 Doha Climate Gateway 21 Green Climate Fund, UNFCC 22 European Development Policy 23 http://www.gcca.eu/about-the-gcca/what-is-the-gcca 24 The Challenge of Securing European Coherence on Climate Finance, 2011 25 The Challenge of Securing European Coherence on Climate Finance, 2011

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In addition, the EU also has the European Investment Bank (EIB), its nonprofit long-term lending institution.

Recognising the threat to long-term economic growth and stability posed by climate change, it offers financing for low-carbon and climate-resilient growth globally. It also sets an annual target of directing 25% of its total lending towards climate action, and this has been systematically exceeded since 2010.26 1

Several EU Member States also follow their own climate financing policies, amongst others the United Kingdom and Germany. The Environmental Transformation Fund - International Window (ETF-IW) is an initiative of the UK government that focuses on helping developing countries tackle climate change.

These resources have been allocated to the World Bank’s Climate Investment Funds, rather than to the European Commission’s initiatives. Germany has the International Climate Initiative (ICI), which finances projects supporting climate change mitigation, adaptation and biodiversity projects with climate relevance. The ICI works in the framework of the European Union Emission Trading Scheme. It raises funds from private companies, by auctioning a percentage of its allowable emission permits to businesses.

Useful links

Green Climate Fund Global Climate Change Alliance European Investment Bank, Finance for climate action European Commission: Innovative Financing Instruments (blending)

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European Investment Bank, Finance for climate action

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ITRE II

The European Energy Union?

With current geopolitical events serving as a worrying reminder of the EU’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels and natural gas imports, how should the EU balance upholding existing energy trade relations with the development of self-sustainable means of energy production?

by Tua Malmberg (SE) & Olivia Rashidi (NO) 1. Explanation of the Problem/Relevance of the topic

In January 2014 the European Commission proposed the 2030 climate and energy package, which contained policies aimed at extending the EU’s climate policies beyond Horizon 2020 to 2030. This was a direct result of the incidents1 occurring worldwide which have an impact on the European energy sector. Horizon 2020 was established in 2008, well before the current turmoil in Ukraine or the US shale gas revolution, along with other events. Therefore, the 2030 climate and energy package is not limited to being a climate target alone but is also intended to serve as an energy vision for Europe, moving the European energy sector into a new era. However, bearing in mind goals set forth for the EU in the Energy Roadmap 2050, the 2030 package will not move Europe in a new direction, but primarily further the goals set for the development of renewable energy production in previous policies.

Given the fact that the EU produces substantially less energy domestically than it consumes – of which a rough 10% is collected from renewable sources – many areas need to be addressed regarding the EU’s dependence on external energy imports. Through energy imports, the EU is heavily dependant on its trade relations with countries such as Algeria, Colombia, Norway, Saudi Arabia, the United States and South Africa, but primarily with Russia - the EU’s biggest energy supplier. A new narrative is emerging from the European Commission, one where energy security is proclaimed to be as necessary for the EU’s development as limiting the emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHG), and where the EU’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels and natural gas imports is seen as increasingly problematic on several levels.2 Upholding energy trade relations in an increasingly troubled world,one where the need for limiting climate change is more extensive than ever and development towards self-sustainability is growing more and more desirable, is perhaps one of the greatest challenges the EU is facing today.

1 2

5 most important geopolitical events of 2014 EU Commission Priority: Climate Action and Energy

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Useful Links:

VIDEO: Renewing Europe’s energy self-sufficiency The great EU climate and energy test: European leaders need deal that will convince the world Meet The 20 Most Profitable Energy Companies In Europe EU Sees Energy Independence Coming Commission admission: energy independence has a price

2. Key Terms

Fossil fuels: any material of biologic origin that can be used as a source of energy, e.g. gas, petroleum or coal. On a global scale, fossil fuels provide around 80% of the energy, but this percentage is decreasing and will continue doing so in the long term with the increasing focus on sustainable and renewable energy sources.3 1

Renewable energy: any energy source that is naturally regenerated over a short time scale and derived, directly or indirectly, from natural movement and mechanisms of the environment, such as sunlight, tidal waves and wind.

Energy mix: the usage of the energy from different sources available for each country in order to meet its energy needs. The energy sources used to meet global demand are primarily fossil fuels. For each country, the energy mix depends on the availability of resources or the possibility of importing these.

Roadmap for moving to a low-carbon economy in 2050: a policy document containing a comprehensive, economy-wide vision for how the EU can carry out the transformation to a clean, competitive and climate-friendly society. The document contains the goal of cutting domestic GHG emissions with 80% by 2050.

Energy trading and marketing: the buying and selling of bulk energy (electricity and natural gas) from where it is produced to where it is needed. Bulk energy is traded as commodities, meaning that the prices often change and are set by supply and demand.

Energy supply security: the combination of national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Uneven distribution of energy supplies among countries has led to vulnerabilities like the complications following the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute in 2009.

Supply diversification: Describing the abundance and flexibility for a certain product in order to prepare one’s supply chain for any kind of complication and problem the market can bring.

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25 years and still relying on Fossile Fuels

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Useful Links:

Vision of the Roadmap for moving to a low-carbon economy in 2050 along with video of EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedgaard:

3. Key questions

• How can investment in green, carbon-efficient technologies be better incentivised and made more attractive within the EU to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels and energy trade?

• To what degree should the EU facilitate for Member States’ development of renewable energy?

• In light of the gas disputes in 2009 between Russia and Ukraine, how can the EU improve the energy security in order to prevent such situations to occur?

4. Key facts and figures

• Currently, the EU produces approximately 47% of the energy it consumes. This means that 53% of the energy consumed by the EU each year is imported from external actors.

Primarily, the energy produced domestically is obtained from nuclear power and renewable energy sources. In contrast, the energy imported primarily is obtained from oil and other fossil fuels.

• In the EU, the average energy mix is split up between and collected to 35% from oil, 24% from natural gas, 17% from solid fuels, 14% from nuclear power and 10% from renewable energy sources. However, this varies between Member States, as each state is responsible for forming its own energy mix.

• Russia is the single largest external supplier of energy to the EU. In 2013, 39% of the natural gas imported to the EU from external actors was supplied by Russia, which accounted for 27% of the EU’s entire consumption of natural gas.

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Useful Links:

70% of New EU Power from Renewable Energy in 2011, 47% from Solar & 21% from Wind EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Energy challenges and policy Increasing the EU’s energy independence Contributing to EU energy independence: renewable ethanol produced in the European Union reduces the EU’s heavy dependency on imported oil by substituting fossil-based gasoline

5. Key conflicts

Perhaps the most obvious conflict is how the EU aims to achieve energy independence when it is currently heavily reliant on fossil fuels, i.e. how the states whose main energy and economy source is fossil fuels will be affected by a change or cut in energy trading. There seems to be a lack of unity within the EU regarding the issue, with six Member States importing all of their gas from Russia and the United Kingdom importing none. Perhaps the most obvious conflict is how the EU aims to achieve energy independence when it is currently heavily reliant on fossil fuels, i.e. how the states whose main energy and economy source is fossil fuels will be affected by a change or cut in energy trading. There seems to be a lack of unity within the EU regarding the issue, with six Member States importing all of their gas from Russia and the United Kingdom importing none.4 1

4 Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Macedonia.

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As energy supply is affected to a great extent by economic and political circumstances, the distribution of energy sources is different from one region to another. Each Member States is responsible for determining the composition of its own energy mix, and the EU is not in a position to completely intervene in this matter. As a result of this, the progress in becoming a low-carbon economy is slow. Europe imports around 40% of its gas and about a third of its oil from Russia, much of it traveling through Ukraine.

With the ongoing tension in the country, the topic of energy security is being debated within the EU. Furthermore, following the crisis in 2009 there is a need of better energy security. The European Commission has put forward a European Energy Security Strategy, but it is mainly focusing on reducing its reliance on Russia rather than fossil fuels as a whole, and does not discuss energy security and climate policy in general.

Useful Links:

Article from 2009 on the effects of the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine Europe must reduce reliance on all fossil fuels, not just Russia’s’, article Wall Street Journal: Three Keys to European Energy Independence from Russia European Dialogue: is Europe’s energy independence from Russia possible?

The great EU climate and energy test: European leaders need deal that will convince the world

6. Stakeholders

As a shared competence between the EU and the Member States, energy is an area where European legislation often is difficult to establish. Member States are chiefly responsible for the advancement and investment in renewable energy on a national level, as well as national energy policies and mixes. Energy policies and import regulations vary between Member States, and national political climates impact energy policies vastly throughout the EU. Decision-making at a European level is enabled by the European Parliament (EP), which acts as a common unifier between the Member States in votes regarding international energy related agreements. Therefore, a policy or legislation related to energy can be adapted on the European level when voted through by the Member State representatives in the EP.

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Another key actor on the European level is the European Council, which is responsible for recognising the strategic developments and objectives of the EU. If a policy related to energy is considered beneficial for the Union as a whole on a strategic level, the European Council can raise it on the European agenda.

Influence and power over energy related issues are not limited to national or European political institutions, but are shared between them and the energy companies with which they engage in trade relations. The most prominent of these companies is the Russian energy company Gazprom, which has been supplying the EU with its largest share of imported natural gas for over 40 years. Furthermore, the European Federation of Energy Traders; a pan-European group of energy trading companies that promotes energy trading within the EU, is a key player on the European energy scene through their interest in domestic European energy production and the development thereof.

Useful Links:

Governing Towards Renewable Energy in the EU: Competences, Instruments, and Procedures EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Committee on Industry, Research and Energy EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Energy in Europe European Federation of Energy Traders

7. Measures in place

Art. 194(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU declares ensuring a well-functioning energy market, a secure energy supply, promoting energy efficiency as well as the development of renewable energy and the promotion of interconnected energy networks to be the four main aims of the EU’s energy policy. Member States are obliged to follow these guidelines, but are free to make their own policies as to how these aims are to be reached because energy is a shared competence between the EU and Member States.

Currently, the EU is working to follow the plans and guidelines set forth in three energy target frameworks with the three different deadlines of 2020, 2030 and 2050 respectively. The 20-20-20 targets, or Horizon 2020, announce a set of legally binding goals for increasing the development as well as the production of renewable energy by 2020. These targets were set as a midway checking point between the establishment and finish of the Energy Roadmap 2050. This Roadmap states a direction for the EU to move in, in order to become a low carbon economy by 2050 whilst remaining industrially competitive. Further, the Roadmap states the goal of reducing GHG emissions by 80 % by 2050, and proclaims that renewable energy is to be invested in, in favour of importing energy in the form of natural gas and oil.

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The 2030 framework for climate and energy policies was adapted in 2014 and states that the EU is to reduce the emissions of GHG as measured in 1990 with at least 40 % by 2030. The framework further states that the EU’s energy efficiency is to be increased by 27 % and that the share of energy collected from renewable sources is to be increased by 27 % in turn, and was established as a means to overcome a potential failure in reaching the 20-20-20 targets.

Useful Links:

VIDEO: From Roadmaps to Reality - A Framework for Power Sector Decarbonisation in Europe 2020 TARGETS: Climate and Energy Package 2030 FRAMEWORK: Climate and Energy Policies 2050 ROADMAP: Moving to a Low-Carbon Economy in 2050

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Contact, Do not hesitate to contact us through any of the information provided below. We will reply as soon as possible.

Emil Juslin Head Organiser emil.juslin@eup.se +4670 232 32 85

Jesper Thunstrรถm

Simon Sjรถstrรถm Grรถnkvist

Organising Committee

Organising Committee

jesper.thunstrom@eup.se +4670 549 14 69

simon.sjostromgronkvist@eup.se +4676 051 53 53

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