(11 March 2009) The European Commission presented the agreement on the Emission Trading Scheme as reached between the Council and the European Parliament December 2008. It has become a complex piece of legislation with several different time frames, derogations, unfinished business and as it links with the proposals to share the burden of the efforts to reduce emissions. The European Commission will have to develop separate policies for example on the rules for the auctioning of emissions and on the sectors in danger of carbon leakage. Members of the committee raised a number of critical questions and underlined the importance of the sectoral social dialogue committee to be linked with the further development of EU policy in this area (a presentation on the compromise reached in December 2008 is available upon request).
The social partners also discussed a new project on Just Employment Transition principles to ensure changes to a low or zero carbon economy take place in an environmentally and socially responsible way. The outcome of the project should assist the unions and employers/ companies to make positive steps ensuring skills and qualified staff are maintained and trained. The social partners agreed a draft programme for a special session of the plenary meeting on the issue of climate change, electricity and employment 10 December 2009 in Budapest.
Other issues considered included:
- promoting the toolkits on Restructuring and on Demographic change and age managemen
- no agreement was reached on the CSR statement. - progress on the consultation of the European Commission with regard to the sectoral social dialogue
- the skills and qualifications project of the European Commission. The suggestion for skills observatories was welcomed.
- strategic energy review
- consultation of the European Commission on the functioning and future of the sectoral social dialogue. The social partners underlined the importance of being consulted in an earlier stage and including with regard to the impact assessments.
- work programme for 2009-2010
- EMCEF/EURELECTRIC/EPSU joint letter on ways of cooperation in addressing the social dimension of future European Energy Policies:
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