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Haupt arrow newsitems arrow EU Energy Commissioner Oetinger to EuroFora: Carbon Tax at EU borders = RES stimulant? (June Summit)

EU Energy Commissioner Oetinger to EuroFora: Carbon Tax at EU borders = RES stimulant? (June Summit)

Geschrieben von ACM
Saturday, 17 April 2010
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An anti-Carbon, CO2-based Financial Adjustment at EU's External Borders against Environmental Dumping by Foreign Countries who don't respect Climate protection rules as EU Companies, could act as an incitment to adopt "clean" Renewable Energy sources (RES), where EU could help by Technology transferts, EU Commissioner on Energy, Gunter Oettinger from Germany, agreed with "EuroFora", while a related Carbon Tax Debate was growing also with French EU Minister Lellouch's statements, after President Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi's Letter to EU Commission's Head, Barroso, in view of EU's forthcoming Summit in Brussels on June.


 - "Eurofora" asked Oettinger if he finds that "a good Incitment to advance towards "Clean", Renewable Energy Technologies", "could be ..the idea to study a Financial Adjustment in the External Borders of the EU, against CO2 Pollution" by Foreign Countries, that EU could help by Technology Transferts : "Issues for June's EU Summit on which French President Sarkozy with German Chancelor Merkel have spoken several times, recently also with Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi".


- "I think, Yes !", the competent EU Commissioner on Energy replied to "EuroFora"s question positively.


- "There are some Details, that we (EU) have to Discuss", Oettinger advised, apparently open to Debate, without excluding any possibility for the moment.


- "Not all is decided" yet, "but..." it will go on, he said on the anti-Carbon Dumping Financial Adjustment at EU Borders, carefuly but optimistically.


CO2-"clean" Technology Transferts by the EU, mainly to Developing Countries, are also expected by the EU  according to UNO Heads of State/Government December 2009 Copenhagen Summit's Agreement, where they are among the more advanced points, as  EU Commissioner on Climate, Connie Hedegaard anounced in her 1st Press Conference, last March 2010 in EU Parliament in Strasbourg, (See "EuroFora"'s publication on some from Hedegaard's replies to our Questions).

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    - At least, meanwhile, "Noone inside "EU Commission shouldn't shoot down a fundamental idea even before it's discussed, and while EU Commission is expected to present on (EU Heads of State/Government's Summit) in June a Report on a Carbon Tax at (EU) Borders",  as French Minister for EU Affairs, Pierre Lellouch, said to Journalists in Strasbourg, including "EuroFora", after he was invited to react to Press Reports about a controversial reluctance attributed to EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard.


    - "We (EU) face a major Global Competition, with other Poles (of development), and if the same Rules on Environment are not respected by all, we (EU) are going to Import Pollution and export Jobs !  It's not what we want : We want a Fair System", he denounced.


    - Moreover, "a Carbon Tax at the Borders already exists in U.S. Legislation,(where) the U.S. House of Representatives has already voted a text on this issue, and the American Senate is due to propose a Bill this week. Our wish simply is that the European and American Laws are put in parallel, and influence other Economic Poles. This is reasonable", Lellouch observed.


    - "So, when I saw (in some Press reports) that a Commissioner in charge of (Climate) would have anounced, urbi e orbi, that the idea was droped, even before it had been studied (by the EU's collective bodies), I say "No. This isn't right !", he concluded.


    "EuroFora" had already raised, recently, with EU Commissioner on Climate, Connie Hedegaard, the topical question if her "International Efforts ... before Bonn('s June 2010 UNO meetings) and in view of Cancun (UNO December 2010 Summit)" to exert "increasing Pressure to make it difficult for those (3rd Countries) who might not agree, ..in Mexico", as she had anounced, in the context of "an International Campaign, ...all over the World", at her 1st Press Conference, in EU Parliament's Plernary in Strasbourg last March, might be facilitated by "Proposals, (already made before Copenhagen, but even more important afterwards, in order to have some Legally Binding effects), ...to try to convince other Countries, ..by raising  ..a "Financial Adjustment" at EU's Borders,  "if there is .."Enviromental Dumping" in External Economic Relations" by disregard of Climate protection rules.


    The main thrust of Hedegaard's reply to "EuroFora"s question on March was not to exclude a CO2 Financial Adjustment at EU Borders in Future, but to "question" if it was "the right Time", or not, as long as there were still hopes, then, to include more big polluting countries in UNCCC's efforts to reach an agreement at December 2010's Summit in Mexico.  Something which, afterwards, reportedly appeared to be rather impossible, as UNO's Officials warned.  But, meanwhile, Global Warming was reportedly continuing f.ex. by melting Poles' ice, while it was unclear what could be really expected by those who preferred to wait until a non-specified Time limit... (See relevant "EuroFora"'s NewsReport : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/fromcopenhagentomexico.html )

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    Meanwhile, in a joint Letter by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and French President Nicolas Sarkozy  to EU Commission's President Jose Barroso, the two leaders stress that "it would be Unacceptable for the ..ambitious efforts that we agreed in the EU for the reduction of WarmHouse effect Gas emissions, as it was decided at the EU (Heads of State/Government) Summit of December 2008, to be compromised by CO2 leaks resulting from the absence or the insufficiency of certain 3rd Countries' actions".


    - Therefore, "it seems necessary for the (forthcoming EU) Commission's Report to fix, without "a priori", the Conditions in which could be established an Adjustment Mechanism at EU's Borders", they underline.


    - "This Mechanism" could "incite 3rd Countries to adopt Measures to reduce their (Gas) emissions", because "everyone would know that, if he refuses to undertake sufficient commitments, .. his products would face a (Financial) Compensation equivalent to EU's scheduled efforts. It we didn't (adopt such a Mechanism), this would be as if one created a strange incitment to never undertake such commitments", the 2 leaders observe, (according also to the question raised by "EuroFora" to Hedegaard on early March : See supra).


     - "Therefore, this is an indispensable tool, that the EU must be able to use if we want to preserve the integrity of our Environmental efforts, while also ensuring the commitment of our main Partners", they conclude. "Fair Trade meets here the struggle against Climate Change".


    - "In the U.S.A., similar measures were introduced in Bills currently under examination", while "available Studies, as a joint Report prepared by WTO and UNPE Secretariats on June 2010, show that it can be possible to meet the necessary condition" for "any such Adjustment Mechanism at the Borders to be fully Compatible with WTO Rules".


    Reminding Barroso's "confirmation, at the last" (March 2010) EU Summit, that EU "Commission will present, next June, a Report to evaluate if some Industrial sectors are exposed to an important risk of Carbon leaks, together with appropriate Proposals",  the Franco-Italian Leaders' letter stresses that its very "important for the Report that the Commission will present on June, in particular on the Adjustment Mechanism at EU's Borders,... to usefuly contribute to EU Heads of State/Government Summit's work on the Means to advance in our action in favor of the struggle against Climate Change.

***

    ( See also other, more extensive Statements by EU Energy Commissioner Oettinger, to "EuroFora", on other topical issues, in another NewsReport).

***

 

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 politkovskaya_gongadze_adali_400

Hu Jia's prize brings SAKHAROV's wife to "EuroFora" on murders of Journalists Politkofskaya, Gongadze and Adali :

- Elena Bonner : "All Journalists' murders must be fully investigated", without Double Standards.                                                                                    

During a special Mega-Event to celebrate 20 Years of SAKHAROV Prize for "Freedom of Thought", attributed in 2008 by EU Parliament to jailed Chinese Cyber-Dissident Hu JIA, the move was reinforced by strongly criticizing the persisting impunity in three cases of Journalists' Murders, such as POLITKOVSKAYA in Russia, GONGADZE in Ukraine, and ADALI in Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus.

Any bureaucratic doubt about whether Cyber-dissidents like Hu JIA might have, or not, a right to be protected as all Journalists must be, particularly when they take risks to search, find and publish original and critical News on issues of general interest to the society, could not resist to the emotion provoked by the message of his Wife, Zeng JINYAN spectacularly transmitted at a big screen in EU Parliament's hemicycle :

- "The most important and most interesting thing he did was to ... say the Truth :.. to write about the phenomena he observed... He never stopped Publishing.. on websites, so that the Public could learn about the reality .. and understand it.  In my view, this has been his greatest contribution", stressed the young wife of the jailed man, eager to cite also the cases of other critical journalists who faced various kinds of "harassment".

 - "Welcoming all those who have suffered for defending Human Rights", EU Parliament's President, German MEP Hans Gert POETTERING, who had invited to Strasbourg all former Sakharov prize-winners from various Countries throughout the World, said that "China needs Europe, and Europe needs China : A great nation" with which "we want to have a good relationship", "association and ..friendship". "But we are never going to stop our fight for Human Rights, and No Government can expect this from us".

    - "It's impossible  to achieve goals of Peace, if Human Rights are left out. In fact, Peace and Human Rights are intrinsequaly linked", added POETTERING.

    It's in this spirit that MEPs adopted, on Thursday, a Resolution denouncing that "the criminal
investigation and trial following the murder of (a) Journalist ...raises serious concerns with regard to transparency and respect for the rule of law", when a "brutal killing has not yet been fully investigated and solved in a satisfactory way".

    The text refered to dissident Journalist "Anna POLITOVSKAYA", a critic of Tchechen conflict, killed some years ago in Moscow, where Russian Authorities have found, arrested and are currently judging two executants, while also searching to arrest also a 3rd one, allegedly escaped in Belgium. But they have not yet found the instigators.

     Similar texts were adopted recently also on dissident Ukranian Journalist Georgiy GONGADZE's murder, for which Ukranian Authorities have at least found, arrested and condemned 2 executants to 12 and 13 Years of jail, but not yet the instigators. For that purpose, they recently accepted an International Experts team to participate to the investigations.     

But, it's only for the Murder of dissident Turkish Cypriot Journalist ADALI, in the occupied territories of Cyprus, that Turkey has NOT yet found ANYONE responsible, and even claimed recently inside CoE that it would be "impossible" to do so !    

These astonishing differences exist despite the fact that ECHR condemned alike Ukraine and Turkey with 2 Judgements on the same year : 2005, for the murders of  Journalists GONGADZE and ADALI, strong critics of Corruption in Ukraine, and of Ankara's policies on mass-influx of Turkish Settlers in the Occupied Territories of Cyprus, respectively.    

Regarless of that, CoE's Committee of Ministers, who is entrusted with the duty to supervise execution of ECHR's judgements, has just asked Ukraine's Government to reply to further questions on Gongadze's murder before March 2009, while Turkey, curiously, got a longer postponement for answering questions on Adali's murder, until June...   

A comparison of these cases, raises serious questions about Double Standards :

------------------------

On TRANSPARENCY :
--------------------------
    On Gongadze's murder, CoE's body speaks even about the participation of
"an INTERNATIONAL group of Experts" in the Investigation, (f.ex. of "Tape Recordings"), accepted by Ukraine.
    On the contrary, on Adali's murder, CoE is obliged to repeatedly ask (for a 2nd
time) Turkey whether, at least, it informed the victims' Family, or not...
------------------------------
- On EFFICIENCY :
-----------------------
On Gongadze's murder, CoE formally "recalls that the Committee (of Ministers) ..URGED the Ukranian authorities.. to TAKE ALL NECESSARY INVESTIGATIVE STEPS TO ACHIEVE CONCRETE and VISIBLE RESULTS in the INVESTIGATION, aimed at the Identification of the INSTIGATORS and Organisers of the Murder", and "STRONGLY INVITED the Ukranian Authorities to provide information on the PROGRESS IN THE INVESTIGATION", before MARCH 2009.

But, on Adali's murder, on the contrary, CoE's body merely .. "took note" of the "arguments presented by" Cyprus, which denounce the absence of any proof of new "investigation" by Turkey. Following Turkey's own suggestion (!), it simply "noted" that there is "no limitation period" for "any new element" to "lead potentialy (sic !) to a Re-Opening of the Investigation". Without saying who might find any such "new" fact, since Turkey stoped searching... It also POSTPONED the issue until .. JUNE  !
-----------------------
 - On the PUNISHMENT OF THOSE RESPONSIBLE :
----------------------
 -  On Gongadze's murder case, Ukranian Authorities already arrested and condemned, at least 2 suspects, to 12 and 13 Years of jail. And on Politkovskaya's murder at least 2 suspects are judged, and a 3rd one "wanted".

On the contrary, on Adali's murder case, the Turkish authorities simply claim that "it had not been possible to obtain new .. information .. on the basis of which criminal charges could be brought against ANY person" !...

Moreover,  a LETTER sent by Turkey ...2 Years after CoE's 2006 call to re-investigate anew Adali's murder case, is totally EMPTY of Facts ! As Cypus' Delegation denounced earlier, Turkey's Letter ONLY CLAIMS that a "New Investigation" was made without any result, but does NOT even cite ANY FACT to prove it :

F.ex.,on the crucial issue of the "MOTIVATIONS" behind Adali's murder, noted by ECHR, Turkey MERELY CLAIMS that "all allegations  were investigated; without result", but OMITS ANY FACT TO PROVE IT !..(It doesn't even remind which were these "allegations").. .

+ On ECHR's astonishment that the Turkish Occupation regime didn't produce any "BALLISTIC REPORT" on the Shots which murdered Adali, Turkey again repeats, 12 years later, that, still, even until now, "it  was not possible to obtain the BalisticReport"...

- As for the astonishing absence of key-WITNESSES' Testimonies, denounced by ECHR, Turkey agains repeats various pretexts avoiding to reveal anything, (Fex. that a person "left" the Occupied Territories  "on 2002", or that another witness was heard, but without revealing nothing of what he said, etc).

Turkey obviously "FAILS TO MEET THE CRITICISM made BY THE COURT" for lack of any efficient Investigation in Adali's case, concluded Cyprus' Government.
---------------------------------------------
Replying to our Question which COMPARED these 3 outstanding cases of "JOURNALISTS MURDERS", Adali, Gongadze and Politkovskaya, in order to avoid "Double Standards" by asking from Ukraine and Russia more than what is asked EU candidate Turkey, many European personalities were critical /

They criticised Ankara's recent claim at the CoE to stop investigating, because it would be "impossible to find anyone" responsible for the 5 bullet shots which killed Kutlu ADALI in front of his Family Home, contrary to the other two Journalists' murders, where Ukraine and Russia at least arrested the executants, searching now for the instigators :
----------------------------------

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    - "Where was that ? In Turkish Occupied Cyprus ? WITHOUT ANY DOUBT : Any murder of Journalist should be investigated in full ! All these Murders must be investigated !", replied the famous SAKHAROV's wife, Elena BONNER to our question on Adali's case, compared to Gongadze and Politofskaya.

    Elena Bonner spoke us EXCLUSIVELY shortly after being honored by the President
of EU Parliament on the occasion of 20 Years of her husband's SAKHAROV Prize.

    A strong personality, Sakharov's wife even had to struggle against an anonymous EU staffer who, astonishingly, tried to stop her speaking when h heard our question on "Turkey" (!) : - "Please, let me translate, she continues
speaking, don't stop us !", had to cry Sakharov's daughter, (a Journalist
herself), who was translating her mothers' reply, (obliged to speak louder to
make her voice heard despite the harassment).. (= + Audio Proof !)

    Earlier, Elena Bonner also fustigated "Double Standards" at another case, on
Western countries' attitude vis a vis Kosovo and the Kurds : -F.ex. "You have
recognized a few 400.000 Kosovars as an "independent" country, but you still
deny that to 30 millions of Kurds in Turkey !", she denounced.
-----------------------------
    - "This (ADALI's murder) is an issue which should be pursued by the Committee
for Human Rights. That's why we have one, and it's its duty to examine cases of
Journalists' murders as the one you referred to. You should bring the case in
front of that Committee", suggested in reply to our question on Adali, EU
Parliament's President, German MEP Hans Gert POETTERING.

    - "It's impossible  to achieve goals of PEACE, if HUMAN RIGHTS are left out :
in fact, Peace and Human Rights are intrinsequaly linked", added POETTERING.
--------------------------------------
    + "For us (European/International Federation of Journalists) it's clear :
Whenever a Journalist is Murdered, the Investigation should continue until
those Responsible are found !", replied earlier to another question on ADALI
EFJ/IFJ's Secretary General, Aidan WHITE.

    Speaking as a matter of General Principle, White asked us for "concrete data"
on the execution of ECHR's judgement on Adali case, in order to "look at it in
depth" and "make a formal statement", in comparison with the other Murdered
Journalist case, also pending at CoE's  Ministers for completing its execution,
on Ukranian Gongadze.
----------------------------------------------------
     From EU Rapporteur on Human Rights, vice-President of EU Parliament Liberties' Committee, MEP Giusto CATANIA, we were told that, since there is an ECHR judgement in both Adali and Gongadge's cases, "Turkey must naturally execute the judgement and make a full and efficient investigation, until those responsible for the Journalist's murder are found and punished".

    Even if "we (Catania's "EuroLeft" Group) support Turkey's EU perspectives, this does not mean that Ankara should not behave properly. On the contrary, it means that they have to meet tough conditions, particularly on Human Rights", was added on the occasion of Adali's murder case.

    Moreover, "since you raise the issue of Mr. Adali's muder as a part of a Series of Journalist's murders, including fex. Gongadze, Politkovskaya, ao., tthen we (EU) could also act together with CoE's Commissioner on Human Rights, Thomas HAMMARBERG, it was suggested.

    - "We (EU) must step up efforts against the problem of IMPUNITY : Real Peace cannot exist without Justice",  stressed also this week at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, French Minister on Human Rights, Mrs Rama YADE.
------------------------
                     

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