circular economy
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UE, CBAM Question and answers
The European Commission released on 10.05.2023 a memo with “Questions and Answers: Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)”. The first question is “…Why is the EU putting in place a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism?…” The EU is at the forefront of international efforts to fight climate change. Indeed, the EU Commission added “…The European Green Deal set out a clear path towards realising the EU’s ambitious target of a 55% reduction in carbon emissions compared to 1990 levels by 2030, and to become a climate-neutral continent by 2050. In July 2021, the Commission made its Fit for 55 policy proposals to turn this ambition into reality, further establishing the EU as…
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16 May 2023: CBAM enters into force
Today 15 May 2023, the EU regulation 2023/956 of 10 May 2023 establishing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) has been published on the Official Journal. Its article 36 lays down that “… This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union…”. It means: 16 May 2023 the mentioned regulation will enter into force.
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FLEGT license and customs codes
The FLEGT license is required for the following customs codes: customs code: 4403 Wood in the rough, whether or not stripped of bark or sapwood, or roughly squared. Customs code: 4404 Hoopwood; split poles; piles, pickets and stakes of wood, pointed but not sawn lengthwise; wooden sticks, roughly trimmed but not turned, bent or otherwise worked, suitable for the manufacture of walking sticks, umbrellas, tool handles or the like; chipwood and the like. Customs code: 4406 Railway or tramway sleepers (cross-ties) of wood. Customs code: 4407 Wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, sanded or end-jointed, of a thickness exceeding 6 mm. Customs code: 4408…
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EU,Guyana, forest and trade in timber products
The EU and the Republic of Guyana signed a voluntary parthership on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber products. This partnership aims to: provide a legal framework aimed at ensuring that all imports into the Union from Guyana of timber products covered by this Agreement have been legally produced; promote trade in timber products. It requires a FLEGT licence to import the wood originating from Guyana; indeed it lays down that: “…FLEGT licensing scheme establishes a set of procedures and requirements aimed at verifying and attesting, by means of FLEGT licences, that timber products shipped to the Union from Guyana were legally produced. In accordance with Regulation (EC)…
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European Court of Justice, VAT and device for charging electric vehicles
The Tenth Chamber of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) with its judgement of 20 April 2023 in case C-282 declared that the supply of the devices for recharging electric vehicles and its connected services, from a VAT standpoint, constitute a supply of goods. In particular, the “….Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 on the common system of value added tax, as amended by Council Directive 2009/162/EU of 22 December 2009, must be interpreted as meaning that a single complex supply which encompasses: – access to recharging devices for electric vehicles (including integration of the charger with the vehicle operating system); – the supply of electricity, within duly adjusted…
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CBAM and exemptions
CBAM (carbon border adjustment mechanism) will not apply to: goods of non-preferential origin (made in) in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway; low-value consignments up to EUR 150; certain military imports.
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CBAM approved by the EU Council
On 25 April 2023 the EU Council adopted the CBAM Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism regulation (togheter with other measures). The vote in the Council is the last step of the decision-making procedure. To enter into force, the regulation will be: signed by the Council and the European Parliament; published in the EU’s Official Journal The other measures adopted are: a) the revision of the ETS Directive; b) the amendment of the MRV shipping Regulation; c) the revision of the ETS Aviation Directive; d) regulation establishing a Social Climate Fund
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F-gas, Paris agreement and reduction of allowed quotas
The EU Regulation n. 2023/857 of 19 April 2023 establishes: a) reduction of allowed quota of F-Fas; b) rules/obligations more strict for the Member States. In particular, this regulations recognizes that: The Parties to the Paris Agreement have agreed to hold the increase in the global average temperature well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1,5 °C above pre-industrial levels; European Union has in place a regulatory framework to achieve the 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target of at least 40 % that was endorsed, before the entry into force of the Paris Agreement, by the European Council in 2014;…
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Import, trade compliance and deforestation: check on the relevant commodity
How will work the regulation on the goods relesead by improving the deforestation of third countries? The regulation: list the relevant commodities and products; Lays down that the relevant commodities can be placed or made available on or exported outside the EU market, if they comply with the following three conditions. These conditions are: -the goods must be “deforestation-free”; it means that: 1) the menttioned goods were produced on land that has not been subject to deforestation after 31 December 2020; 2) that the harvested wood did not induce forest degradation after 31 December 2020; -the goods must be produced in line with the relevant legislation of the country of…
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EU, efuels and excises: some reflections and proposal
On 21 march 2023 Reuters reported: “…The European Commission has drafted a plan to allow sales of new cars with internal combustion engines after 2035 if they run only on climate neutral e-fuels, as it tries to resolve a spat with Germany over moves to phase out combustion engine cars. The draft proposal, seen by Reuters on Tuesday, suggests creating a new type of vehicle category in the European Union for cars that can only run on carbon neutral fuels….”. By waiting for the final regulation, it is interesting to think how the promotion of e-fuels can works with tax (excises) incentives. We studied how the production of efules can…