Malta late on emissions scheme

Malta's National Allocation Plan (NAP) for the second phase of the EU emission trading scheme is more than two months late.

Member states had until the end of June to forward their proposals but only 10 out of the 25 members have met the deadline.

Commission environment officials said yesterday that Malta is among the group of countries that will shortly be facing legal action by the European Commission over the issue.

The second phase of the emissions trading scheme will officially start in 2008 and the EU has by then to evaluate and decide on every NAP by its member states.

Government sources yesterday admitted that Malta is still not in a position to present its NAP to Brussels because it is not ready yet. The plan has to be approved by Cabinet before it is passed on to the EU.

In their national allocation plans, member states need to propose allocations of carbon dioxide emission allowances needed to cover their pollutant installations. In Malta's case, the two power stations are the only installations that fall under this scheme.

Only a few months ago, the Commission insisted on the need for the June 30 deadline to be respected to allow the Commission to take decisions on all 25 NAPs. It is only then that member states can take their final allocation decisions by the end of this year, well before the second trading period starts.

The second trading period coincides with the end of the five-year period, known as the "first commitment period", in which the EU and member states had to meet their targets for limiting or reducing emissions of greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.