28 Amendments of Dan NICA related to 2021/0206(COD)
Amendment 23 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) However, sufficient, stable and equitable resources are needed to finance those investments. In addition, before they have taken place, the cost supported by households and transport users for heating, cooling and cooking, as well as for road transport, is likely to increase as fuel suppliers subject to the obligations under the emission trading for buildings and road transport pass on costs on carbon to the consumers.
Amendment 30 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) The increase in the price for fossil fuels may disproportionally affect vulnerable households, vulnerable micro- enterprises, vulnerable SMEs and vulnerable transport users who spend a larger part of their incomes on energy and transport, who, in certain regionsthus exacerbating inequalities, and who, in certain regions, especially in rural, peripheral and isolated areas, in less developed regions or territories, those suffering from severe handicaps and those in demographic decline, do not have access to alternative, affordable mobility and transport solutions and who may lack the financial capacity to invest into the reduction of fossil fuel consumption.
Amendment 42 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) This is even more relevant in view of the existing levels of energy poverty. Energy poverty is a situation in which households are unable to access essential energy services such as cooling, as temperatures rise, and heating. About 34 million Europeans reported an inability to keep their homes adequately warm in 2018, and 6.9% of the Union population have said that they cannot afford to heat their home sufficiently in a 2019 EU-wide survey32 . Overall, the Energy Poverty Observatory estimates that more than 50 million households in the European Union experience energy poverty. Energy poverty is therefore a major challenge for the Unionis essential and access to affordable energy services is a basic social right and essential for social inclusion. Energy poverty is a situation in which households are unable to access essential energy supply needs, so as to guarantee basic levels of comfort and health, such as cooling, as temperatures rise, and heating as a result of an insufficient level of income, high-energy prices and which, if applicable, may be aggravated by having an energy inefficient dwelling. About 34 million Europeans reported an inability to keep their homes adequately warm in 2018, and 6.9% of the Union population have said that they cannot afford to heat their home sufficiently in a 2019 EU-wide survey32 . Overall, the Energy Poverty Observatory estimates that more than 50 million households in the European Union experience energy poverty. Energy poverty is therefore a major challenge for the Union. Despite the increasing importance of this challenge having been acknowledged at EU-level through various initiatives, legislation and guidelines, there is no standard Union level definition of energy poverty and only one third of Member States have put in place a national definition of energy poverty. As a result, no transparent and comparable data on energy poverty in the Union is available. Therefore, a broad Union level definition should be established on energy poverty in order to properly collect data, including sex- disaggregated data, to target assistance and monitoring practices. While social tariffs or direct income support can provide immediate relief to households facing energy poverty, only targeted structural measures, in particular energy renovations, can provide lasting solutions. _________________ 32 Data from 2018. Eurostat, SILC [ilc_mdes01]).
Amendment 55 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) A Social Climate Fund (‘the Fund’) should therefore be established to provide funds to the Member States to support their policies to address the social impacts of the emissions trading for buildings and road transport on vulnerable households, vulnerable micro-enterprises, vulnerable SMEs and vulnerable transport users. This should be achieved notably through temporary income support and measures and investments intended to reduce reliance on fossil fuels through increased energy efficiency of buildings, decarbonisation of heating and cooling of buildings, including the integration of energy from renewable sources, and granting improved access to zero- and low-emission mobility and transport to the benefit of vulnerable households, vulnerable micro-enterprises, vulnerable SMEs and vulnerable transport users.
Amendment 61 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 13 a (new)
Recital 13 a (new)
(13 a) The implementation of the Fund should take into account ex ante impact provided by the European Commission, illustrating the unequal social impacts of the emissions trading for buildings and road transport in Member States and go hand in hand with an economic policy and governance that do not generate inequalities, poverty and social exclusion.
Amendment 67 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) For that purpose, each Member State should submit to the Commission a Social Climate Plan (‘the Plan’). Those Plans should pursue two objectives. Firstly, they should provide vulnerable households, vulnerable micro-enterprises, vulnerable SMEs and vulnerable transport users the necessary resources to finance and carry out investments in energy efficiency, decarbonisation of heating and cooling, in zero- and low-emission vehicles and mobility. Secondly, they should mitigate the impact of the increase in the cost of fossil fuels on the most vulnerable and thereby prevent energy and transport poverty during the transition period until such investments have been implemented. The Plans should have an investment component promoting the long-term solution of reduce fossil fuels reliance and could envisage other measures, including temporary direct income support to mitigate adverse income effects in the shorter term.
Amendment 68 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14 a (new)
Recital 14 a (new)
(14 a) The Plans should also include measures to provide information support, capacity building and training necessary to implement the investments and measures intended to reduce reliance on fossil fuels through increased energy efficiency of buildings, decarbonisation of heating and cooling of buildings, including the integration of energy from renewable sources, and granting improved access to zero- and low-emission mobility and transport.
Amendment 71 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) Member States, in consultation with regional, local level authorities and civil society organisations, are best placed to design and to implement Plans that are adapted and targeted to their local, regional and national circumstances as their existing policies in the relevant areas and planned use of other relevant EU funds. In that manner, the broad diversity of situations, the specific knowledge of local and regional governments, research and innovation and industrial relations and social dialogue structures, as well as national traditions, can best be respected and contribute to the effectiveness and efficiency of the overall support to the vulnerable.
Amendment 77 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) Ensuring that the measures and investments are particularly targeted towards energy poor or vulnerable households, vulnerable micro-enterprises, vulnerable SMEs and vulnerable transport users is key for a just transition towards climate neutrality. Support measures to promote reductions in greenhouse gas emissions should help Member States to address the social impacts arising from the emissions trading for the sectors of buildings and road transport.
Amendment 89 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 19
Recital 19
(19) Women are particularly affected by carbon pricing as they represent 85% of single parent families. Single parent families have a particularly high risk of child poverty. Gender equality and equal opportunities for all, and the mainstreaming of those objectives, as well as questions of accessibility for persons with disabilities should be taken into account and promoted throughout the preparation and implementation of Plans to ensure no one is left behind. disproportionally affected by the consequences of climate change1a, by energy poverty and are particularly affected by carbon pricing due to the employment, income, pay and pension gaps. Moreover, they represent 85% of single parent families, which have a particularly high risk of child poverty and are under-represented as tenants. This, together with the fact that women are more affected by time poverty, limits women’s involvement in the energy transition, by not being able to afford energy efficiency investments to decrease their energy consumption and having limited access to energy efficiency retrofitting programs.2a Gender equality and equal opportunities for all, and the mainstreaming of those objectives, as well as questions of accessibility for persons with disabilities should be taken into account and promoted throughout the preparation and implementation of Plans to ensure no one is left behind. _________________ 1a EIGE, Area K - Women and the environment: climate change is gendered, 05 March 2020, available at: https://eige.europa.eu/publications/beijing -25-policy-brief-area-k-women-and- environment 2aEuropean Parliament, Directorate- General for Internal Policies of the Union, Feenstra, M., Clancy, J., Women, gender equality and the energy transition in the EU, Publications Office, 2019, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2861/989050
Amendment 127 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 3
Article 1 – paragraph 3
The measures and investments supported by the Fund shall benefit households, micro-enterprises, SMEs and transport users, which are vulnerable and particularly affected by the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and road transport into the scope of Directive 2003/87/EC, especially households in energy poverty and citizens without public transport alternative to individual cars (in remote and rural areas).
Amendment 136 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 4
Article 1 – paragraph 4
The general objective of the Fund is to contribute to the transition towards climate neutrality by addressing the social impacts of the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and road transport into the scope of Directive 2003/87/EC. The specific objective of the Fund is to support vulnerable households, vulnerable micro-enterprises, vulnerable SMEs and vulnerable transport users through temporary direct income support and through measures and investments intended to increase energy efficiency of buildings, decarbonisation of heating and cooling of buildings, including the integration of energy from renewable sources, and granting improved access to zero- and low- emission mobility and transport.
Amendment 137 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 1
(1) ‘building renovation’ means all kinds of energy-relatedholistic building renovation, includingwhich includes a comprehensive approach to the energy, accessibility, spatial and structural performance of the building, including in particular the insulation of the building envelope, that is to say walls, roof, floor, the replacement of windows, ventilation, the replacement of heating, cooling and cooking appliances, and the installation of on-site production of energy from renewable sourcesthe upgrade of electrical installations for more efficient ones, adaptation of housing for people with any type of disability and the installation of on-site production of energy from renewable sources, and including all kinds of safety-related renovation works undertaken at the same time, such as seismic protection, electrical safety, smoke detection and alarm, automatic fire suppression, smoke management and fire compartmentation;
Amendment 145 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 2
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 2
(2) ‘energy poverty’ means energy poverty as defined in point [(49)] of Article 2 of Directive (EU) [yyyy/nnn] of the of the European Parliament and of the Council50 ; _________________ 50[Directive (EU) [yyyy/nnn] of the of the European Parliament and of the Couna household’s inability to meet its basic energy supply needs and lack of access to essential energy services as to guarantee basic levels of comfort and health, a decent standard of living, including adequate heating and cooling, lighting, and energy to power appliances, in the relevant national context, existing social (OJ C […], […], p. […]).] [Proposal for recast of Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency]policy and other relevant policies, as a result of an insufficient disposable income.
Amendment 157 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 9 a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 9 a (new)
(9 a) small or medium-sized enterprise or SME means a small or medium-sized enterprise as defined in Article 2 of the Annex of the Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC
Amendment 184 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1
1. Each Member State shall submit to the Commission a Social Climate Plan (‘the Plan’) together with the update to the integrated national energy and climate plan referred to in Article 14(2) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 in accordance with the procedure and timeline laid down in that Article, following, where relevant, a consultation with regional and local entities and civil society organisations working with population in situation of vulnerability. The Plan shall contain a coherent set of measures and investments to address the impact of carbon pricing on vulnerable households, vulnerable micro- enterprises, vulnerable SMEs and vulnerable transport users in order to ensure affordable heating, cooling and mobility while accompanying and accelerating necessary measures to meet the climate targets of the Union.
Amendment 195 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 2
Article 3 – paragraph 2
2. The Plan mayshall include national measures providing temporary direct income support to vulnerable households and households that are vulnerable transport users to reduce the impact of the increase in the price of fossil fuels resulting from the inclusion of buildings and road transport into the scope of Directive 2003/87/EC.
Amendment 198 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 3 – point a
Article 3 – paragraph 3 – point a
(a) finance measures and investments to improve energy performance and increase energy efficiency of buildings, to implement and ensure their safety, through the implementation of active and passive energy efficiency improvement measures, to carry out building renovation, and to decarbonise heating and cooling of buildings, including the integration of energy production from renewable energy sources, to carry out electrical, fire and seismic safety inspection and renovation, and including information support, capacity building and training necessary to implement those measures and investments;
Amendment 208 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 3 – point b
Article 3 – paragraph 3 – point b
(b) finance measures and investments to increase the uptake of zero- and low- emission mobility and transport, including information support, capacity building and the training necessary to implement those measures and investments.
Amendment 226 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point c
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) an estimate of the likely effects of that increase in prices on households, and in particular on incidence of energy poverty, on micro-enterprises, on SMEs and on transport users, comprising in particular an estimate and the identification of vulnerable households, vulnerable micro- enterprises vulnerable SMEs and vulnerable transport users; these impacts are to be analysed with a sufficient level of regional disaggregation and sex- disaggregated data, taking into account elements such as access to public transport and basic services and identifying the areas mostly affected, particularly territories which are remote and rural;
Amendment 234 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point d
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point d
(d) where the Plan provides for measures referred to in Article 3(2), the criteria for the identification of eligible final recipients, the indication of the envisaged time limit for the measures in question and their justification on the basis of a quantitative estimate and a qualitative explanation of how the measures in the Plan are expected to reduce energy and transport poverty and the vulnerability of households, micro-enterprises, SMEs and transport users to an increase of road transport and heating fuel prices;
Amendment 235 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point e
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point e
(e) envisaged milestones, targets to reduce the number of vulnerable households, vulnerable micro-enterprises, vulnerable SMEs and an indicative timetable for the implementation of the measures and investments to be completed by 31 July 2032;
Amendment 263 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point e
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point e
(e) reductions in the number of vulnerable households, especially households in energy poverty, of vulnerable micro-enterprises, vulnerable SMEs and of vulnerable transport users, including in rural and remote areas.
Amendment 287 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
Article 6 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
2. Member States may include the costs of the following measures and investments in the estimated total costs of the Plans, provided they principally benefit vulnerable households, vulnerable micro- enterprises, vulnerable SMEs or vulnerable transport users and intend to:
Amendment 307 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2 – point c a (new)
Article 6 – paragraph 2 – point c a (new)
(c a) provide targeted information, support, capacity building and training necessary to implement the energy efficiency renovation solutions and grant access to zero- and low-emission mobility and transport services;
Amendment 365 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 14 – paragraph 1
Article 14 – paragraph 1
1. Member States shall contribute at least to 540 percent of the total estimated costs of their Plans.
Amendment 376 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 15 – paragraph 2 – point a – point i
Article 15 – paragraph 2 – point a – point i
(i) whether the Plan represents a response to the social impact on and challenges faced by vulnerable households, vulnerable micro-enterprises, vulnerables SMEs and vulnerable transport users in the Member State concerned from establishing the emission trading system for buildings and road transport established pursuant to Chapter IVa of Directive 2003/87/EC, especially households in energy poverty, duly taking into account the challenges identified in the assessments of the Commission of the update of the concerned Member State’s integrated national energy and climate plan and of its progress pursuant to Article 9(3), and Articles 13 and 29 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999, as well as in the Commission recommendations to Member States issued pursuant to Article 34 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 in view of the long-term objective of climate neutrality in the Union by 2050. This shall take into account the specific challenges and the financial allocation of the Member State concerned;
Amendment 387 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 15 – paragraph 2 – point b – point i
Article 15 – paragraph 2 – point b – point i
(i) whether the Plan is expected to have a lasting impact on the challenges addressed by that Plan and in particular on vulnerable households, vulnerable micro- enterprises, vulnerable SMEs and vulnerable transport users, especially households in energy poverty, in the Member State concerned;