Integrated Climate Change and Energy Programme
In early 2007, the European Council of heads of state and government, meeting under the German presidency, set the parameters for an integrated European climate and energy policy. This will include climate protection targets and targets for the expansion of renewable energies and increases in energy efficiency. In August 2007, the Cabinet of the German government decided to implement the integrated European climate and energy policy (agreed to in early 2007) by way of an Integrated Climate Change and Energy Programme. This programme has as its guiding principles security of supply, economic efficiency and environmental protection. Through 29 measures, the programme addresses a wide range of matters. In the renewables sector, these include: - combined heat and power generation, - the expansion of renewable energies in the power sector, - provisions on the feed-in of biogas to natural gas grids, - the Renewable Energies Heat Act, and - the expansion of the biofuels market. In December 2007 Germanys lower parliament approved the programme and passed a first package of fourteen draft laws addressing most of the priorities of the national climate and energy programme. The first package included: 1) Amendment to the Combined Heat and Power Act; 2) Amendment to the Energy Industry Act (EnWG) on liberalised metering; 3) Report and draft amendment to the Energy Saving Ordice (EnEV); 4) Amendment to the 37th Ordice on the Implementation of the Federal Emission Control Act (BlmSchV)--clean power plants; 5) Guidelines on the procurement of energy-efficient products and services; 6) Amendment to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG); 7) Renewable Energies Heat Act (EEWärmeG); 8) Amendment to the Gas Grid Access Ordice; 9) Amendment to the Biofuel Quota Act; 10) Sustainability Ordice; 11) Fuel Quality Ordice; 12) Hydrogenation Ordice; 13) Reform of Vehicle Tax to a pollutant and CO2 basis; and 14) Chemicals Climate Protection Ordice. A second package of measures, continuing the legal transposition of the programme, was passed in June 2008 (see separate entry). The climate programme measures are to be legally transposed during the course of 2008.
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