Press Release: Emissions trading: Commission takes new decisions on Estonian and Polish national allocation plans for 2008-2012

The European Commission on 11 December 2009 took new decisions on the national allocation plans (NAPs) submitted by Estonia and Poland for distributing carbon dioxide (CO 2) emission allowances for the 2008-2012 trading period of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). It rejected both plans on several grounds, but the principal reason was that the total quantity of allowances that these countries proposed to allocate to their operators was too high. The EU ETS ensures that greenhouse gas emissions from the energy and industry sectors it covers are cut in a cost-efficient manner, thus helping the EU and its Member States to meet their emission commitments. The Commission's previous decisions, which also rejected the plans, were annulled by the Court of First Instance on 23 September 2009. Appeals are pending before the European Court of Justice.