Press Release: Commission approves CO2 quotas for the electricity sector in Denmark for the period 2001-2003

The European Commission approved 29.3.00 the Danish scheme for tradable CO2 emission permits, which is the first of its kind in the European Union. The State will allocate emission permits for free to electricity producers established in Denmark based on their historical emissions during the period 19941998. In order to respect the freedom of establishment, new entrants on the Danish electricity market before the end of 2003 will be allocated emission permits based on objective and non-discriminatory criteria, which are subject to approval by the Commission. The Commission makes clear that this decision is without prejudice to future decisions on emission trading schemes.