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 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.