Publication: Report on Possible Improvements on Management of Revenues from Auctioning of EU ETS Allowances and Use of Flexibility Mechanisms in Romania
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2015-11
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2016-04-18
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This report is on possible improvements on management of revenues from auctioning of European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) allowances and use of flexibility mechanisms in Romania. The principal objective of this report is to propose improvements on management of revenue from the auctioning of EU ETS allowances, as well as describe possible use of flexibility mechanisms in Romania, in order to mobilize and enable both public and private actors to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from economic activities in non EU ETS sectors in line with EU targets. The report focuses on possible actions in the timeframe 2016-2020, aligned with EU ETS phase and EU target for 2020 and 2030. The report is positioned amid the wider context of a vision for Romania to become a climate resilient, low-carbon economy, which has mainstreamed its climate policies and actions into smart, green, and inclusive growth, described in the National Climate Change and Low Carbon Green Growth Strategy for Romania 2016-2030 and 2015-2020 Climate Action Plan prepared by the World Bank for Romania. The report found that until now, there had been no clear and effective procedure for the administration of ETS auctioning revenue, and no selection and prioritization criteria. The lack of selection and prioritization criteria and guidance for using ETS auctioning revenue to finance GHG emission reduction projects allowed for the selection of projects without proper assessment in terms of their reduction of GHG emissions, as well as cost effectiveness and other important factors. In order to maximize the environmental, social, and economic impact of possible sectoral climate investment programs, and based on international experience, the World Bank’s expert team proposes to use the following criteria for prioritizing and selecting non-EU ETS sectoral programs to be financed with EU ETS auctioning revenue: (i) cost efficiency of Emissions Reduction; (ii) leverage of public money to private finance; (iii) possibility for rapid development and scale up; (iv) lack of other financing mechanisms; and (v)support for job creation. Based on these criteria, the report recommends supporting the following climate investment programs for the years 2016-2020:(a) replacing household light bulbs, air conditioning units, individual heating systems, refrigerators, and washing machines with more performant ones; (b) upgrading household buildings insulation; (iii) implementing local, small- and household-scale renewable energy production; and (iv) forestry and biomass production, and land use improvements. It was concluded that the proposed improvements on managing revenue from the auctioning of EU ETS allowances laid out in this report could be used by the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, as a responsible body for climate policy, for internal discussions with other Romanian ministries and agencies to reach consensus on the next steps.
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“World Bank. 2015. Report on Possible Improvements on Management of Revenues from Auctioning of EU ETS Allowances and Use of Flexibility Mechanisms in Romania. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/24072 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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