EU Parliament Green Group President Cohn-Bendit to EuroFora on Carbon Tax +Rachida Dati's amendment

    The time has not come yet for the "Greens" to support the proposal of a "Carbon Tax" at EU's external borders vis a vis those 3rd Countries which don't respect the Rules for Climate protection, but this shouldn't have any negative reperecussions on the Economy claimed the President of the "Green" Group in EU Parliament, Franco-German MEP, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, speaking to "EuroFora".   

    He was reacting to an Amendment in favor of instauring a Carbon Tax at EU external borders, tabled by French MEP Rachida Dati on a Draft Resoluition about Climate Change after the Copenhagne UN Summit (See "EuroFora"'s NewsReports from Copenhagen), that EU Parliament's Plenary will vote tomorrow (Wednesday) noon.

    Asked by "EuroFora" if this strange opposition by the "Green" Group's leadership against a Climate-protection measure didn't risk to dissuade EU's industrial enterprises from respecting Climate protection rules, since, otherwise, they would be facing Unfair Competition from 3rd Countries who don't respect Environment legislation, Cohn Bendit claimed that there wasn't such risk, at least for the moment :
 

   - "No, because, for the time being, Carbon Tax (doesn't affect) the enterprises, as long as there are exchanges at a rate of Zero per cent, they are not charged", was Cohn Bendit's curious (and precarious) reply to "EuroFora"s question above.

    Cohn-Bendit referred "EuroFora" to a Letter addressed to Dati by another "Green" MEP, Yanick Jadot, who replied with a similar claim to the question if he wasn't afraid that, by refusing a Carbon Tax at EU external borders, this might dissuade EU businesses from respecting Climate protection rules if they were abandoned without protection to unfair competition from 3rd Countries, who didn't respect such rules :  

    - "I don't think that there is now such a risk, at least as long as the (European) enterprises are not yet submitted to quota, since, for the moment, the CO2 quota are free of charge",  he said.

    - "EU pretends that it is in advance in Climate protection, while, in fact, it's below other countries", Jadot, (to whom Cohn-Bendit referred), curiously believed, despite  the fact that the EU notoriously made the comparatively most substantial proposals at Copenhagen's UNO Summit.  

 
    As he told "EuroFora",  in his view, for the "Greens" to support Carbon Tax at EU's external borders, EU must previously enhance even further its position against Cimate change, by unilateraly accepting 30% CO2 reductions, even if other Countries in the world didn't accept yet to move... At Brussels' December 2009 EU Summit (See "EuroFora"'s NewsReports from the event) EU decided to cut CO2 Emissions by 20% and offer even - 30% if there were reciprocal moves also from other Countries in the World.

    But it's precisely in this direction that Rachida Dati's Amendment appears to be moving :  - "It should be a means to put pressure on the other participants of the UN Climate Change Conference, and should encourage the signing of an (International) agreement containing more ambitious commitments", stresses Dati in the "Justification" of her Amendment.

 

    - "Given the weak agreement which was signed at Copenhagen, a Carbon Tax at the EU's Borders should be established" because "this .. should help fight against Unfair Competition of Countries which don't comply with the same objectives as the EU, in terms of reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions", she adds.

    Therefore, the Amendment tabled by Dati to EU Parliament's draft Resolution "calls on the (EU) Commission, in the absence of any Binding International Agreement, to propose a Carbon Tax at the EU's borders".

    The new Leader of the French Governing Party UMP to EU Parliament, MEP Jean-Pierre Audy, (just elected in Strasbourg to replace Michel Barnier, elected new EU Commissioner), speaking to "EuroFora", confirmed that "we support Dati's amendment", (even if a relevant paragraph to the initial Draft Resolution might be meanwhile abolished).

 
    Earlier, Dati already succeeded to make the vice-President of EU Commission,  now in charge of Industry, Antonio Tajani, declare, during his January 2010 Hearing at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, that "the idea of a "CO2 tax .. is an Hypothesis to consider, actually laid down in the ICC Legislation".

    But  "it's better to wait until (UNO's) Copenhagen Summit's process is completed, (i.e. by collecting the Commitments of each Country, on January 2010, and by advancing towards a Binding Treaty : See "EuroFora"'s NewsReports from Copenhagen, 12/2009), assess the situation, and take EU decisions on the basis of informations given by the UN also on other Countries' stance, Tajani advised then.

    Dati welcomed Tajani's statements, because, unlike other Commissioners, he appeared open to "Anti-Dumping" measures, if EU has to face "Unfair Competition" by "Social and/or Environmental Dumping"  from 3rd Countries, (fex. China or Turkey, etc), who produce "cheaper" just because they don't respect neither Workers' elementary Rights, nor the Environment.

    Meanwhile, French President Sarkozy, meeting with German Chancelor Merkel last week in Paris (See "EuroFora"'s NewsReports from the event) said that the German Government Coalition (i.e. Liberals included) agreed to discuss about an adjustment mecanism at EU's external borders against Unfair Competition, and that this was even what the US were currently considering to do, so that the EU should speak with Washington DC about that in order to coordinate International efforts for Climate protection.