Arbejdsrapport fra Miljøstyrelsen, 15/2004 – EU's Environmental Technologies Action Plan

EU's Environmental Technologies Action Plan

1 Summary and Recommendations

This section offers a summary and recommendations as regards the future of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP), including specific ideas for potential roles of Danish stakeholders in the broader ETAP process.

1.1 Summary

On 28 January 2004, the Commission adopted an Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP) with the aim of harnessing the full potential of environmental technologies to reduce the pressures on natural resources, improve the quality of life of European citizens and stimulate economic growth. In the plan it was emphasised that ETAP is a contribution to the EU Sustainable Development Strategy and to the Lisbon Strategy.

Box E1: Environmental Technologies

The ETAP defines environmental technologies to include all technologies whose use is less environmentally harmful than relevant alternatives. This is therefore quite a broad definition that allows both true clean technologies (eg zero emission closed circuit processes), cleaner technologies (eg more efficient processes or products) and also end-of-pipe technologies (eg filters).

The objectives of the ETAP are to remove the barriers for environmental technologies such that they can achieve their full potential, ensure that the EU takes a leading role in developing and applying environmental technologies and mobilise all stakeholders in supporting these objectives. It focuses on three pillars: getting from research to markets; creating the right market conditions; and acting globally, ensuring that the international dimension is suitably incorporated.

More precisely, the Environmental Technologies Action Plan contains 28 actions of which 11 are chosen as priority actions (PAs) for the Commission, national and regional governments, industry and other stakeholders to improve the development and uptake of environmental technologies. The PAs are given in Box E2.

Box E2: ETAP Priority Actions

Getting from Research to Markets

Increase and better coordinate research (PA1),
Launch three technology platforms bringing together researchers, industry, financial institutions, decision-makers and other relevant stakeholders (PA2) (see Box E3),
Establish European networks of testing and standardising (PA3),

Improving Market Conditions

Develop and agree performance targets for key products, processes and services (PA4),
Mobilise financial instruments to share investment risks (PA5),
Review state aid guidelines (PA6),
Review environmentally-harmful subsidies (PA7),
Encourage procurement of environmental technologies (PA8),
Raise business and consumer awareness (PA9),
Provide targeted training (PA10), and

Acting Globally

Promote responsible investments in and use of environmental technologies in developing and economies in transition countries (PA11) – eg through trade agreements; development of cooperation funds

There is also a plan for moving forward, which includes regulator reviews of the situation, the setting up of a European Panel on Environmental Technologies (EPET) and the use of the open method of co-ordination (OMC).

The EPET is simply to be a high level panel from across the EU to help coordinate and input into the ETAP and, while its constitution is not yet set, is likely to involve key stakeholders and personalities.

The OMC is basically a mechanism with the aim to help Member States to progressively develop their own policies. This can take place via 'soft' instruments such as benchmarking, peer reviews, regular reporting, and the development by the Commission of voluntary guidelines. This approach contrasts with that of the Community Method (CM), which relies on setting 'hard' legally binding standards for achieving goals.

Box E3 Technology Platforms for ETAP

The aim of the platforms is to help develop a coordinated long-term strategy for developing the technology or marketing its results. There are currently around 20 such platforms at the EU level, some with numerous national 'mirror platforms'. As regards ETAP, the status of the selection of platforms is:

Hydrogen and fuel cells - In place
Photovoltaics – In place
Steel – In place
Water technology – Planned to be in place in 2005
Others to come – eg currently discussions underway whether to have one on Chemicals.

1.2 Recommendations

Constructive efforts can come from all levels of stakeholders – from government officials that currently constitute the high level working group on ETAP; from industry to ensure a real commitment and in cases pressure for the priority actions (PAs) to be implemented and dialogue in the platforms and national mirror groups; to academics in the links to research networks of excellence and to the European Panel on Environmental Technologies (EPET). EPET membership is still an open question, and support can usefully be given to ensure that there is some type of NGO participation; NGOs can be influential in keeping momentum going on the environmental aspects of ETAP.

General Recommendations Regarding Environmental Technologies

The EU should ensure that it maintains or grows its share of the global eco-industries markets - in services, end-of-pipe applications and clean technologies, whether process or products. The EU has to counter the explicit ambitions of the Japanese in this field, and the expected American ambition.
EU and Member States should contribute to helping identify and support key new technologies that can offer environmental benefits as well as both domestic economic gains and export markets. This can be done, inter alia, through focused support on this issue in national foresight work – eg green technologies foresight. This will achieve win-win-win situations.
The scope for supporting/offering appropriate signals for the development and uptake of environmental technologies in existing programmes and funding should be explored and realised. Notably, more emphasis should be given to promoting these technologies through the revised Structural Funds and in the Cohesions funds prioritisation need to better reflect the benefits of these technologies.
While there is already an expected high level of commitment to environmental technologies in the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development, support that this actually ends up being the case would be beneficial.
Finally, it has been shown that the key driver for the development and uptake of environmental technologies is regulation itself. Therefore, particular attention should be paid to putting in place appropriate regulation to support needed technologies.

General ETAP Recommendations

The 'Open Method of Communication' (OMC) should only be used in areas where there is a true value added as a supplement to EU environmental regulation – eg in relation to investments in cleaner technology and exchange of good practices.
OMC should not substitute EU environmental regulation and should only be used in areas where competence is shared between the Community and Member States, but progress at EU level is limited due to unanimity voting rules – eg in relation to the use at national level of economic instruments for furthering environmental technologies.
Member States could push for the annual reports (which are to feed into the Commission Spring Reports) on the 'R&D 3% of GDP objective' to include information on the implementation of ETAP.
With regard to the technologies covered under the 6FP it would be valuable to have assessments of the environmental achievements in relation to those technologies to clarify which technologies run counter the environmental objectives, to clarify where future support is appropriate, and indeed make the programme more internally consistent and avoid contradictions of objectives.
It is important that experts involved in the implementation of ETAP explore funding opportunities outside the general environmental funding framework as funding here is relatively limited and this seem to also be the case for the next EU budget period (2007-2013). Other budgets are also relevant. ETAP can be seen as an instrument to achieve the Lisbon goals and should therefore be promoted in relation to policies related to the Lisbon Strategy.
In terms of creating coherent and mutually supportive policies, the Dutch Presidency should ensure that actions in support of ETAP becomes part of the result of the negotiations on the proposal for a new Programme of the Competitiveness of Enterprises and the proposal for a new action plan for innovation.

Possible Recommendations for Danish Stakeholders

Explore which of the PAs offer the greatest benefit to Denmark and be proactive in encouraging that these PAs be implemented robustly. This includes identifying and communicating cases of best practice that others can learn from.
Where relevant, and appropriate for Denmark, look at national strategies and measures to support implementation of PAs.
Consider proactive suggestions as to representatives for the EPET – either permanent or liaisons on special issues, if the EPET is more flexible. The representatives should be constructive and influential.
Check to see which research networks in Denmark can support the EPET and encourage links of national research networks and programmes to EPET discussions.
Link in to Dutch activities on ETAP, innovation and policy instruments.
Explore which national technologies (existing or potential) can have their exports markets developed (eg selling Danish wind power, given interest in clean technologies).
Develop mirror groups on technologies at a national level to link to the EU platforms – these are the equivalent of national platforms.
Encourage that platforms are taken seriously and not just talking shops.
Encourage further platforms if and where appropriate – eg support the concept of the development of a chemicals platform.
If and where a platform is particularly important for Denmark, communicate early to the Commission potentially important Danish representative for the panel. The Commission is key in the decision as to who is a member of each platform, but its position builds on information it has available.