Home Publications Application of the Emissions Trading Directive by EU Member States — reporting year 2008

Application of the Emissions Trading Directive by EU Member States — reporting year 2008

Technical report No 13/2008

The European Union is running the largest multi-country, multi-sector greenhouse gas emission trading scheme (ETS) world-wide. The first trading period (2005-2007) terminated last year. This report presents the experiences from Member States on the implementation of the trading system. The report for reporting year 2008 covers both specific information on the trading year 2007 as well as some findings from the whole first trading period. The report also contains a short discussion around the risk of carbon leakage In many ways, the first trading period from 1 January 2005 until 31 December 2007 can be seen as an explorative phase, taking into account that the EU ETS is the first multinational emissions trading scheme of this magnitude Over the course of the three-year period, increasing knowledge was collected on key figures and experience gained in implementing the Emissions Trading Scheme. A number of lessons were learned that have reshaped the design and implementation of the system and will continue to do so. The report reveals that there is still room for further alignments, which to a certain degree already have been addressed. From the trading year 2008 a new version of guidelines on monitoring and reporting is applied. Some other issues are addressed in the proposed amendment of the Trading Directive that is under discussion in the Council and the European parliament.

Published: 05 Jan 2009