First exchange of views on EU ETS review in Council

On 26 October the Environment Council held a first exchange of views on EU ETS Directive revision for the post-2020 period. All Member States agreed that EU ETS and its reforms are the cornerstone of the EU’s climate change policy. In his contribution to the debate, EU Climate Commissioner Cañete underlined that the Commission proposes an evolution rather than a revolution to the scheme. The debate focused around three questions: the degree of reforms, the balance between free allocations to avoid carbon leakage and competitiveness of energy-intensive sectors, and low carbon funding mechanisms.

While Member States agreed that it is crucial to maintain measures against the risk of carbon leakage, the debate focused on the distribution key for the shrinking amount of free allowances. Some EU Members called for a more focused approach to the carbon leakage list, advocating for tiered evidence-based methodology. France, UK, Slovakia and Czech Republic published a non-paper on this aspect. Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands also spoke in favour of targeting mitigation to sectors at genuine risk of carbon leakage. The Visegrad group – Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia – plus Bulgaria and Romania expressed an openness to “discuss the introduction of more allocation categories”. If adopted, this approach to introduce differentiation between the industries at risk of carbon leakage would ultimately mean reduced carbon leakage protection for many energy-intensive sectors (e.g. ceramics, paper, glass, cement, chemicals, refineries, etc.) to the advantage of few.

The negotiations in the European Council, Parliament and Commission are expected to take at least a year or even two. The directive will be adopted with the ordinary legislative procedure (formerly known as “co-decision”).

Fitness check on construction

In the Annex 3 of the Commission Work Programme for 2015, the European Commission (EC) announced its intention to carry out a fitness check on the construction sector. To this end, the EC launched two supporting studies to assess the impacts of EU legislation on the construction sector.

The first supporting study is being conducted by the Italian consultancy company Economisti Associati. It started in May 2015 and aims at estimating the costs and benefits of EU legislation in two policy areas: internal market and energy efficiency. It is focused on construction of buildings (no infrastructure) and construction products and construction-related professional services. The study will only look at EU legislation in force between 2004 and 2014. The list of proposed legislation for further analysis include: Construction Products Regulation, Energy Efficiency Directive, Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, Ecodesign Directive and Energy Labelling Directive. With regards to the Construction Products Regulation, the study will look at the administrative costs/savings linked to the (1) provision of Declarations of Performance (DoPs) to customers and (2) application of CE marking on construction products.

The second supporting study will start in December 2015 and focus on Environment, Health and Safety EU legislation.

At a Construction Products Europe (CPE) workshop on 12 November on this topic, Ms Arantxa Hernandez (DG GROW Unit C1 - Clean Technologies and Products) indicated that some stakeholders will be interviewed and a public consultation will soon be launched. The two final reports are expected in summer 2016. 

EC publishes proposal for EU ETS review

On 15 July the European Commission published a proposal for a revision of the directive on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for the period after 2020 as a part of its legislative summer package.

The proposal reflects the ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 43% before 2030. To achieve this target the Commission proposes to decline the overall number of emission allowances at an annual rate of 2.2% from 2021 onwards and fix their auctioning volume at 57%. The proposal further suggests to focus free allocations on the sectors at highest risk of relocating their production outside the EU, known as carbon leakage. Negotiations on the EC proposal will commence after the summer recess in the European Council and Parliament.

Currently over 1,200 ceramic installations are covered by EU ETS. Under ETS, ceramics represent around 10% of installations but only 1% of emissions.

The Alliance of Energy Intensive Industries (AEII), of which TBE (through Cerame-Unie) is a part, published a press release on its concerns about the capacity of the energy intensive industries to remain competitive and attract investment in Europe.

Read Cerame-Unie's position on the post-2020 EU ETS review

2015 TBE Congress, Leuven

Tiles and bricks executives from across Europe met in Leuven, Belgium on 1 and 2 June for the 2015 TBE Congress. The Congress was hosted and organised by the Royal Dutch Association for Building Ceramics (KNB) and the Belgian Brick Association (BBF).

The Congress started on Monday 1 June with the Roofing Tiles Product Group followed by the Masonry Product Group. Members attended the TBE Joint Environmental and Technical Working Group in the afternoon to gain a comprehensive overview of the activities undertaken during the last year. That evening members enjoyed a cocktail and gala dinner in the stunning 13th century Infirmary of the UNESCO World Heritage Begijnhof. The morning of Tuesday 2 June was dedicated to the TBE Executive Committee, BBF Board, KNB General Assembly and TBE General Assembly.

General assembly

The TBE General Assembly presented a good occasion to review the previous year’s actions and anticipate upcoming activities. Thanks to TBE Working Groups, electronic brochures on the advantages of pitched roofs and clay masonry products were prepared for TBE members to distribute at national level and use in meetings with builders and architects. Important developments related to EU climate and energy policy were discussed as was the implementation of Product Category Rules. Additionally, TBE is creating a solid external network that promotes the visibility of the industry by participating in the World Sustainable Buildings Conference and the European Masonry Alliance.

TBE members discussed upcoming activities such as the revision of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) Directive and the study on re-carbonation. Also in the pipeline are the European Commission initiative on additional indicators for the assessment of buildings and the study on the leaching behaviour of clay aggregates.

Internal changes

Internal structural changes were approved by TBE members at the General Assembly. Mirosław Jaroszewicz from the Polish Employers Union of Building Ceramics became TBE’s new Vice-President, replacing Heimo Scheuch, CEO of Wienerberger AG, who held the title of President for six years and Vice-President for one. Pierre Jonnard was nominated the next TBE Internal Auditor (replacing Hervé Gastinel). The following representatives were nominated new members of the Executive Committee: Roland Besnard, Christof Domenig, John Mercer and Wayne Sheppard. TBE also welcomed Magdalena Vallebona, its new Secretary General, who will be taking over the responsibilities of Adolfo Aiello after heading the TBE Secretariat for three years.

Construction debate

A debate on construction took place in the afternoon with a focus on sustainability, a topic that is central to the European tiles and bricks industry. Six panellists representing key stakeholder groups – architects, academia, demolition and social housing – covered all three pillars of sustainability from environmental to economic and social. The industry believes that the scope of a proper sustainability assessment needs to focus on the entire building because construction materials are always used as building elements. Moreover, to gain a comprehensive assessment it is essential to consider the whole life cycle of the building and its elements, up to the recycling and re-use phase.

Following successful meetings, the TBE Secretariat looks forward to welcoming its members to Switzerland for the 2016 Congress on 23-24 June.

2015 INSYSME meeting, Athens

The INSYSME plenary 18th month meeting took place on 23-24 March 2015 in Athens, Greece at NTUA's premises. TBE, a dissemination partner, followed the meeting from a distance by telephone conference.

The first day of the meeting was dedicated to project review with the European Commission Project Officer and the Technical Expert. The second day of the meeting was of more technical nature and the Consortium analysed the status of the project, tackled issues regarding WPs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and planned future activities. The meeting was also be enriched by a visit at NTUA's Laboratories of Reinforced Concrete Earthquake Engineering during the first day.

INSYSME, which stands for “INnovative SYStems for earthquake resistant Masonry Enclosures in reinforced concrete framed buildings”, involves cooperation between national associations, research institutes and companies from seven European countries. For more information, visit the INSYSME website at www.insysme.eu.

INSYSME communication documents

INSYSME partners have developed three communication documents (see below) to disseminate relevant information on the main elements of the project, namely its framework, the objectives and the structure. These documents will be used by the project partners in the relevant meetings and events to share information with interested parties.

• Fact sheet
• Flyer
• Poster

INSYSME, which stands for “INnovative SYStems for earthquake resistant Masonry Enclosures in reinforced concrete framed buildings”, aims at developing innovative systems for masonry enclosures.

For more information, visit the INSYSME website at www.insysme.eu. 

2014 Conference on Research & Innovation in Ceramics

How industry benefits from EU funding

The 2014 Ceramic Days were organised by Cerame-Unie from 1 to 5 December in Brussels. On 4 December a conference on research and innovation (R&I) investigated the role of EU funding in the ceramic sector. 

Just ahead of the EU Competitiveness Council on 5 December which will study the link between R&I and European competitiveness, a Commission official from DG Research and Innovation presented theopportunities available to industry through Horizon 2020.

Speakers shared facts and figures on schemes available under H2020 as well as tips and tricks for seeking EU funding for ceramic research projects. Panellists disclosed their practical experience with EU-funded projects on earthquake-resistant masonry (INSYSME), standardisation in refractories (ReStaR), innovative heat recovery (financed through SILC I and LIFE) and different projects related to silica.

The conference and the various success stories demonstrated the continued need for EU-funded programmes through Horizon 2020.

Read the conference report:

About the Ceramic Days

As the preeminent policy event for Europe’s ceramic manufacturers, the Ceramic Days present a key occasion for representatives from all ceramic sectors, experts and policymakers to exchange ideas at sectoral and public events.

“With high-level speakers and fully booked public events, the 2014 Ceramic Days were a resounding success,” affirmed Alain Delcourt, Cerame-Unie President.

“The ceramic industry, with 80% SMEs and 200,000 direct jobs, is a valuable asset for the EU in terms of growth and jobs. Significant steps towards an industrial renaissance must be taken to ensure a 20% share of GDP for the industry by 2020. To this end, Cerame-Unie will continue to provide expertise and policy recommendations as laid out in our Manifesto.”

2014 European Parliament Ceramics Forum (EPCF)

On 3 December 2014 MEP Paul Rübig and MEP Elisabetta Gardini co-hosted the 15th European Parliament Ceramics Forum (EPCF) in the EP, followed by a cocktail reception with a keynote speech by Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director General of DG Enterprise and Industry. Held in the context of the 2014 Ceramic Days, the discussions demonstrated that the ceramics industry, a manufacturing and SME-driven sector, plays a key role in delivering much needed growth and jobs for the EU.

The EPCF Plenary session featured panel debates with speakers from the European Parliament, European Commission and industry. EPCF Chair MEP Paul Rübig stressed the importance of the annual Forum stating that “I am proud to be part of a platform that has enabled a constructive dialogue between industry experts and EU policy makers for more than 15 years. Dialogue is essential when working to reinforce growth and jobs in Europe.”

Three panels explored topics that impact the ceramic industry and are currently being discussed at EU level: the circular economy, the international competitiveness of SMEs and the future of the EU Emissions Trading System.

In his contribution to the first panel, Dr Heimo Scheuch, Cerame-Unie Vice-President and CEO of Wienerberger AG, expressed that “with respect to sustainable construction, the entire life cycle of a clay construction product must be considered when discussing resource efficiency.”

MEP Anthea McIntyre, EPCF Vice-Chair, opened the panel on trade emphasising that EU policies should focus on “facilitating trade and removing trade barriers, as exports play an essential role for the competitiveness of ceramic companies – particularly for SMEs.”

On climate and energy, MEP Antonio Tajani, EP VP and EPCF Vice-Chair, commented that “it is possible to celebrate a marriage between industrial policy and climate and energy policies. This is essential to avoid carbon leakage.”

Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director General of DG Enterprise and Industry, gave the keynote speech at the cocktail reception. He noted that “as Europe continues to fight its way out of the financial crisis, promoting industrial competitiveness is of the utmost importance. Manufacturing sectors like ceramics have been and will continue to be a vital part of the European economy and the creation of jobs.”

For more information about the EPCF, visit www.epceramicsforum.eu. The 16th EPCF Plenary will take place in Brussels on 1 December 2015.

Read the full report:

European Council agrees on 2030 climate & energy framework

EU Heads of State and Government meeting in Brussels on 23-24 October reached an agreement on the 2030 climate and energy framework. The package includes the following targets:

• At least 40% domestic reduction in GHG emissions;

• A binding EU target of at least 27% for renewable energy;

• An indicative target of at least 27 % for energy efficiency, with a revision in 2020 “having in mind an EU level of 30%”.

ETS sectors will have to reduce their emissions by 43% compared to 2005. To that purpose, the annual reduction factor will increase from 1.74% to 2.2% as of 2021. The ETS will be reformed with an instrument to stabilise the market in line with the Commission proposal.

In order to preserve the competitiveness of EU industry, free allocation will continue after 2020 to prevent the risk of carbon leakage due to climate policy. The benchmarks for free allocations will be periodically reviewed in line with technological progress in the respective industry sectors. Both direct and indirect carbon costs will be taken into account, in line with the EU state aid rules so as to ensure a level-playing field. The most efficient installations in these sectors should not face undue carbon costs leading to carbon leakage. Future allocations will ensure better alignment with changing production levels in different sectors.

The full text of the European Council conclusions is available here.

Position on post 2020 climate & energy policies

The recent initiatives instigated by the European Commission - Market Stability Reserve, 2030 framework, post 2020 carbon leakage - provide an ideal opportunity for a holistic debate on EU post-2020 climate and energy policies that extends beyond marginal adjustments to existing policy instruments.

In this context, the European Ceramic Industry Association Cerame-Unie has issued a position paper calling on EU institutions to ensure that post 2020 climate and energy policies preserve the competitiveness of European industry in order to foster the growth avoid carbon and investment leakage and favour the development of breakthrough technologies supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy. The position paper is in line with the letter addressed from the European Alliance of Energy Intensive Industries (AEII) to European institutions in view of the European Council meeting of 23-24 October.

Read the CU position paper

Read the AEII letter