Brussels, 13/03/2008
The climate change and energy package put forward by the European Commission is a major step towards an international solution to address the threat of climate change.
The ETUC, however, insists that social and employment considerations must be taken into account, particularly in a globalised context, so as to make emissions reduction policies an opportunity to create quality jobs and diminish social inequalities, while reducing the negative effects on workers and their families. The ETUC proposes setting up “fair employment transition” programmes, which will allow the structural changes in employment and skills resulting from ambitious and rapid mitigation measures to be fully anticipated, managed and financed. Consultation with the European social partners (trade unions and employers) on the climate change package and social dialogue are a key element of such programmes.
The ETUC also reaffirms its concern about the unbundling of ownership of electricity and gas transmission networks from supply and generation activities. The ongoing drive towards liberalisation weakens Europe’s ability to guarantee security of energy provision.
The ETUC will emphasise the following priorities:
- Scaling up the human resources and material investment necessary to meet the greenhouse gas emissions target;
- Burden-sharing between economic sectors, to take account of the need to maintain a sustainable industrial base in Europe;
- A revised Emissions Trading Scheme that offers incentives to cut industrial emissions and a border adjustment mechanism;
- Developing sustainable renewable energies;
- Avoiding social costs of electricity prices;
- Reforming the European energy model itself to meet the dual challenge of investment and of bringing energy consumption under control.