Regulation 2010/1031 - Timing, administration and other aspects of auctioning of greenhouse gas emission allowances pursuant to Directive 2003/87/EC establishing a scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowances trading within the EC - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 302/1

Directive 2003/87/EC was revised and amended by Directive 2008/101/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 amending Directive 2003/87/EC so as to include aviation activities in the scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community (2) and Directive 2009/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 amending Directive 2003/87/EC so as to improve and extend the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme of the Community (3). One of the improvements determined in the revision of Directive 2003/87/EC was that auctioning should be the basic principle for allocation, as it is the simplest and generally considered to be the most economically efficient means of doing so. The efficiency of the emissions trading scheme relies on a clear carbon price signal to achieve abatement of greenhouse gas emissions at least cost. Auctioning should support and strengthen such a carbon price signal.

Article 10(1) of Directive 2003/87/EC requires Member States to auction allowances covered by Chapter III of that Directive not allocated free of charge. Thus, Member States must auction allowances not allocated free of charge. They may not use any other means of allocation, nor could they withhold or cancel allowances not allocated for free instead of auctioning them.

Article 10(4) of Directive 2003/87/EC lays down various objectives for the auctioning process. It should be predictable, in particular as regards the timing and sequencing of auctions and the estimated volumes of allowances to be made available. Auctions should be designed to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises covered by the emissions trading scheme have full, fair and equitable access, that small emitters are granted access, that participants have access to information at the same time, that participants do not undermine the operation of the auctions, and that the organisation of and participation in the auctions is cost-efficient avoiding undue administrative costs.

These objectives should be read in the context of the overarching aims of the revision of Directive 2003/87/EC, which include, inter alia, more harmonisation, avoidance of distortions of competition and greater predictability, all of which should reinforce the carbon price signal to achieve abatement of emissions at least cost. Indeed, the increased emissions reduction effort requires the highest possible degree of economic efficiency on the basis of fully harmonised conditions of allocation within the Union.

Article 3d(1) of Directive 2003/87/EC provides for the auctioning of 15 % of allowances covered by Chapter II of that Directive in the period from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012 whilst Article 3d(2) provides for the auctioning of the same percentage of allowances covered by Chapter II of Directive 2003/87/EC in the period from 1 January 2013 onwards. Article 3d(3) requires the adoption of a regulation containing detailed provisions for the auctioning...