Brussels, 18-19 October 2006
Introduction
1. With both the Kyoto Protocol and the European CO2 emissions allowance system due to end in 2012, the European Commission has started to reflect on a future EU strategy for tackling climate change. A green paper is expected at the end of the year.
2. In this resolution, ETUC affirms its support for an ambitious European policy to tackle climate change, outlines the principles that must guide a future European strategy and sets priority areas where action is required.
3. ETUC's social priorities include a stabilised climate and a healthy environment. The Confederation, therefore, intends to bear its full responsibilities when it comes to tackling climate change, an issue that urgently needs to be addressed outside specialist and environmental discussions and become part of citizenship and democracy, using the revived tools of social dialogue and collective bargaining.
II. Energy transition must be fair
4. The Executive Committee sees climate change as one of the most serious threats to the planet. There is now consensus among scientists that global warming is the result of human activities, that there is a risk that climate change will be irreversible and a risk that the social and economic consequences will be disastrous. ETUC, therefore, believes that this evidence is strong enough for strong and significant measures to be taken immediately.
5. ETUC is concerned that, until now, the majority of countries in the European Union have not assessed the impact that global warming will have on their economic and social fabric. If no action is taken, the populations that will suffer the most will be those who are already the most disadvantaged, a situation that would then cause serious tensions in society. ETUC, therefore, welcomes the planned Green Paper on adaptation to climate change and calls for particular attention to be accorded to populations and jobs that are particularly vulnerable to climate change.
6. The ETUC is deeply concerned that the European policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as the Kyoto protocol, has completely skipped over the social dimension so far. Tackling climate change means revolutionising our models for energy and development and reorientating individual behaviour. Consequently, the level of acceptance of the measures required will depend in large part on whether account is taken of the social impacts, both positive and negative, and their fair management.
7. The ETUC considers that these changes offer workers a range of opportunities. Less intensive use of natural resources could be compensated for by more intensive use of labour. Many studies show that tackling climate change could, on the whole, be beneficial for employment.
Reducing EU's dependency on fossil energy resources will contribute to improving energy security. It should allow these resources to be distributed more fairly between industrialised and developing countries, creating the conditions for negotiated energy peace. A reduction in CO2 emissions should improve the health of millions of people suffering from air pollution caused by transport and industrial activities, particularly that of the most disadvantaged populations and workers at sites generating pollution who are the most exposed to the pollution.
8. However, it is highly likely that the introduction of climate policies would significantly change the way in which manufacturing and work processes are organised. Income, jobs and working conditions could change in the sectors that emit the highest levels of greenhouse gases and manufacturing plants that cannot be converted.
9. Consequently, trade unions want to see the following action taken: better estimation of the impact that climate policies have on employment and skills so that the most appropriate measures are taken; implementation of social transition measures; participation of workers and their representatives in negotiation and implementation of energy and climate policies within sectors and across sectors, in companies and work places and at both national and European level within European works councils and European sectoral social dialogue committees.
10. The Executive Committee reaffirms the principle of "sharing the load of responsibilities and economic opportunities arising from the fight against climate change equally between all sectors of the economy and with workers."
11. More specifically, ETUC calls upon the Commission, Council and European institutions to:
a) Review the guidelines for the European Strategy on Employment and include the objective of exploiting the full potential to create jobs linked to the development of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency and public transportation systems and support efforts to raise the level of qualifications required for these jobs and make them more attractive to young people.
b) Make "social transition towards a low-carbon economy" part of the mandate of the Restructuring Taskforce created by the Commission following its Communication in March 2005 on restructuring and employment. The application scope of the European Globalisation Fund needs to be clarified so that it can be used for workers in sectors exposed to international competition that are the most affected by greenhouse gas emission restrictions.
c) Revise Directive 94/45/EC on European works councils and grant workers' representatives the right to information, consultation and participation in environment-related issues, particularly energy and climate change, as is already the case in some EU countries for national companies.
12. Besides, the Executive Committee calls upon the Commission to set up a European platform for tripartite dialogue on climate change, bringing together European social partners and the relevant Directorates-general. The platform would aim to prevent, avoid or reduce the potentially adverse social effects and fully exploit the social opportunities that could result from implementation of climate policy, in particular those related to competitiveness and employment.
13. Finally, ETUC asks the Commission to launch a consultation procedure based on Article 137 of the Treaty so that the European social partners conclude an agreement on: i) the responsibilities accorded to European works councils and the scope for social dialogue on energy and climate change; ii) joint identification of the sectors affected by measures to reduce emissions or which offer opportunities; iii) commitment to training activities and anticipation of restructuring.
II. Proposed components of a future EU climate change policy
► International framework
14. The Executive Committee is keen to see the Kyoto Protocol extended beyond 2012 with new reduction targets being laid down for industrialised countries. ETUC, like the international trade union movement, believes that it is essential that the industrialised countries that have not signed the Kyoto Protocol become part of such a framework and encourages the European Union to make every effort to encourage these countries to do so.
15. The rules of international trade should take into account efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
16. At international level, ETUC also believes that efforts to tackle climate change need to be extended to developing countries emitting high levels of greenhouse gases. This should be done in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capacities. ETUC calls for efforts to assess how appropriate it would be to encourage developing countries, and particularly those emitting high levels of greenhouse gases, to voluntarily set their own targets for reducing emissions by offering a large-scale multilateral programme to transfer technology; such a programme may require, if necessary, suspension of intellectual property rights linked to these technologies.
► The European climate change policy
17. The Executive Committee is concerned that the European Union as a whole and a large majority of Member States are not on target to meet commitments to reduce emissions during the period 2008-2012 made under the Kyoto Protocol. ETUC urges the Commission to take additional measures and apply stricter criteria when approving National CO2 Allocation Plans for 2008-2012.
18. The Executive Committee supports the adoption of the ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gases in the EU by 25% by 2020 and by 75% by 2050 in comparison with levels in 1990. It also believes that this commitment should be made independently of international negotiations on the post-Kyoto period. ETUC believes that the benefits for the EU of such reductions far outweigh the costs as long as:
a) The social requirements listed above are met;
b) The scope of European policies are extended to cover all greenhouse gases and all sectors. More specifically, it should cover emissions generated by road transport, aviation and maritime transport that are increasing rapidly. It should also include emissions of other greenhouse gases which have increased significantly since 1990;
c) The CO2 emissions trading system is harmonised as far as possible at European level to reduce distortion of competition within sectors;
d) A very long-term policy framework for the carbon emissions market is set in order to incentive and secure investment in the new low carbon manufacturing sector.
19. The Executive Committee is of the opinion that there is an urgent need to share the burden of reducing emissions more fairly between 'domestic' sectors (transport, residential, tertiary) and other sectors, in particular industry, which are directly exposed to international competition. Efforts must be stepped up in the transport and residential sectors where emissions are increasing at a very fast rate.
20. At the same time, industry and energy sectors need to continue efforts to reduce emissions with the support of European research and development programmes. These programmes must be strengthened and given a new focus in order to speed up technological breakthroughs that will dramatically reduce emissions generated by industrial processes.
21. With regard to transport, ETUC is disappointed at the lack of ambition displayed by the European Union. ETUC wants to see strategies for sustainable transport coordinated at European level with the objective of transferring road and air traffic to other modes of transport that generate lower levels of greenhouse gases (railways, waterways, public transport, cycling, walking) and develop intermodal transport. ETUC demands:
a) A European framework for tariffs on the use of transport infrastructure that aims to internalise external social and environmental costs of different forms of transport and permit cross-subsidisation from the road transport sector in addition to the financing required to improve working conditions in the road haulage sector;
b) The construction of the trans-European transport network with priority given to projects that aim to prevent climate change (combined road-rail transport, waterway connections). The possibility of financing these projects through a new European tax on heavy tonnage maritime shipments and kerosene used in civil aviation should be examined more closely;
c) Compliance with the voluntary agreement reached between European automotive constructors to limit CO2 emissions from new vehicles to an average of 140 g/km by 2008 and adoption of European legislation setting CO2 emissions requirements at an average of 120 g/km in 2012;
d) A European strategy for sustainable mobility of workers between their homes and places of work. ETUC proposes a requirement for companies of a certain size to appoint a mobility officer and develop mobility plans with to involve workers representatives in this process.
22. Recognising the huge potential of energy savings and jobs linked to renovation of buildings and the need to tackle fuel poverty, ETUC repeats the demand it made in the joint manifesto with the European Environmental Bureau and the Platform of European Social NGOs (Social Platform) entitled 'Investing for Sustainable
Development' for a European programme to renovate energy facilities in housing, targeting housing for the most disadvantaged as a priority. This type of programme must receive funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the EU structural funds.
23. With regard to energy, ETUC is of the opinion that the EU must step up efforts to diversify energy sources and significantly increase the percentage represented by renewable sources, some biofuels and cogeneration of heat and electricity. ETUC backs the unanimous appeal made by the European Parliament for 20% of energy to be supplied from renewable sources by 2020.
ETUC also urges the Commission to study the costs and benefits in terms of employment, the environment, competitiveness and energy security related to a European strategy to spread clean carbon technology including carbon capture and storage in geological formations.
Finally, ETUC would like to draw attention to the potential contradictions between liberalisation and privatisation of the European energy market, which may encourage a race towards energy generation and short-sighted investments from private operators, and the need to control energy consumption levels. Consequently, ETUC asks the Commission to take these factors into account when drafting its report on progress made in liberalisation of the energy sector in early 2007.
24. The Executive Committee is alarmed at the number of Member States planning to purchase large quantities of credits from projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in order to meet their targets under the Kyoto Protocol. ETUC believes that, given the lack of limits for emissions in the host countries, these mechanisms are only acceptable from a social and environmental perspective if the following three conditions are met: i) that they are used in addition to national measures; ii) that the projects meet internationally-recognised social and environmental standards; and iii) that the trade unions in the purchasing country and the host country are consulted on the projects.
ETUC therefore urges the Commission to request from every European government that acquires credits from project mechanisms to introduce a consultation process for the national stakeholders and to impose a social and environmental responsibility requirement on the projects. Belgium may be taken as a model on this point.
If this trend is confirmed, ETUC would ask the Commission to place restrictions on the proportion of flexible mechanisms included in Member States' reduction targets.