European industry waking up to costs of Kyoto

In a press conference on July 8, the Union of Industrial and Employers’ Confederations of Europe (UNICE) called for a review of the European Unions climate change strategy until 2012 and beyond.  According to the industry federation, the EU’s unilateral implementation of the Kyoto Protocol will widen the gap between American and European economic growth and undermine the competitiveness of European industry.

Fabrizion d’Adda, the chairman of UNICE’s industrial affairs committee, predicts the EUs emissions trading scheme costs consumers between 85 million and 2.3 billion euro due to increases in the price of electricity.

The federation also pointed out the conflict between the demands of the Kyoto Protocol and the EUs adoption of the Lisbon Agenda.  Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, in March 2000, the EU Heads of States and Governments agreed to make the EU the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-driven economy by 2010.  The energy suppression required by global warming alarmism has contributed to this goal looking harder and harder to meet.

EU Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom criticized UNICEs remarks.  She said that it was easy to criticize Kyoto and not come up with concrete and viable alternatives.  She further said that European industry should see the protocol as an opportunity and not as a threat

(www.euractiv.com, July 13; Expatica, July 15).