Climate change mitigation - National Responses (Estonia)

SOER 2010 Common environmental theme (Deprecated)

Topics: Climate change mitigation

This page was archived on 21 Mar 2015 with reason: A new version has been published

SOER Common environmental theme from Estonia

Topic: Climate change

Published: 26 Nov 2010 Modified: 11 May 2020

Policies implemented to reduce emissions of GHGs

· National Programme of Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction for 2003-2012

In April 2004 the Government approved the National Programme of Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction for 2003-2012 (RT L 2004, 59, 990).

The National Greenhouse Gas Abatement Programme 2003-2012 is the only programme where reaching the Kyoto target has been set as a main objective. The main goal of the programme is to ensure compliance with targets set by the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The long-term objective of the national programme is a reduction of GHG emissions by 21 % by 2010 compared with the 1999 emission level.

The sub-objectives of the programme are:

determining the possibilities for reducing anthropogenic emissions of GHGs and promoting measures for reducing human impact of potential climate change;
developing the flexible mechanism of JI according to the principles of the Kyoto Protocol to reduce GHG emissions;
determining project themes for Estonia, suitable for JI on the basis of the Kyoto Protocol and preparing a relevant database;
increasing the energy efficiency of the Estonian economy – reducing energy intensity.

The quantitative targets of the programme by sectors are given in relevant sections of the current report. It has to be emphasised that as the programme was developed in 2002 several items and targets are out of date and the programme therefore needs up-dating. Till now, no research for analysing its implementation has been carried out.

No other legislative arrangements, administrative procedures or programmes have been developed specifically for meeting the commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.

International, national and local responses

· European Community legislation

The list of main climate- and energy-related targets set in various legal acts of the EU for Estonia are given in Table 11.

Table 11. Energy- and climate-related quantitative targets in EU legal acts for Estonia (Report pursuant to Article 3.2 of Monitoring Decision, 2009)

Indicator	Act	Target
Share of renewable-based electricity in gross electricity consumption	Directive 2001/77/EC	5.1% (by 2010)
Share of renewables in final energy consumption	Directive 2009/28/EC	25% ( by 2020)
Share of renewables in fuel use of transport	Directive 2003/30/EC	5.75% (by 2011)
	Directive 2009/28/EC	10% (by 2020)
Saving of final energy consumption	Directive 2006/32/EC	9% (by 2016)
Limit for GHG emission (compared to 2005)	Decision 406/2009/EC	+11% (by 2020)

· Climate and energy package, 2020 targets

In December 2008 the European Parliament adopted a set of legislative documents – the so-called EU climate and energy package – for the gradual transformation of Europe into a low-carbon economy and for increasing energy security. An agreement has been reached on legally binding targets, by 2020:

to cut GHG emissions by 20 %;
to establish a 20 % share for renewable energy in final energy consumption;
to improve energy efficiency by 20 %.

Regarding reduction of GHG emissions, the package contains an offer to go further and commit to a 30 % cut in the event of a satisfactory international agreement being reached.

The Directive 2009/28/EC sets legally binding targets for each EU member state, in order to reach the EU aggregated target of a 20 % share of renewable energy by 2020. It creates cooperation mechanisms for achieving the targets in a cost-effective way. Several administrative barriers and other burdens will be removed, confirming the 10 % target for renewables in transport. Biofuels sustainability criteria are set to ensure that only biofuels that have no negative environmental impact are supported. The directive also has implications for small-scale emitters in sectors including transport, buildings, agriculture and waste. By 2020, emissions from these areas are to be reduced by an average of 10 % compared to 2005, shared out between Member States according to differences in GDP per persona. National targets were set for Member States, together with a linear legally binding trajectory for the period 2013-2020 with annual monitoring and compliance checks.

Estonia has committed itself to achieve by 2020 a share of energy from renewable sources in gross final energy consumption of 25%.

· Energy efficiency

National Energy Efficiency Programme for 2007-2013

An improvement of energy efficiency can be considered as a goal of increasing priority for the government. A new National Energy Efficiency Programme for 2007-2013 has been prepared, through which investments will be made in energy efficiency, relevant information will be made more widely available and consumers will be informed about opportunities to conserve energy. The programme is one of the documents prepared for implementation of the National Long-term Development Plan for the Fuel and Energy Sector Until 2015 that was approved in December 2004. The energy efficiency programme determines areas that need to be prioritised in order to meet fuel and energy saving goals. The programme also sets strategic aims and objectives for priority areas, as well as measures for achieving these objectives. It also takes into account the task of achieving the indicative energy conservation objective set by the Directive 2006/32/EC, the saving of 9 % of final energy consumption during the period of 2008-2016.

The main objectives of the programme are:

dissemination of energy efficiency information;
availability of skills and experts;
increasing efficiency in the consumption, production and transfer of fuels and energy;
performing tasks arising from the EU energy efficiency policy.

In the programme it is estimated that for investments aimed at increasing efficiency in the fields of consumption, production and transfer of fuels and energy a total of 1.5 billion EEK (€96 million) is needed during the period up to 2013.