Lehdistötiedote 30.8.2002
– Heidi Hautala mukana kehityshankkeessa –
Euroopan parlamentin jäsen Heidi Hautala (vihr.) osallistuu YK:n kestävän kehityksen huippukokouksessa esiteltyyn puhtaita polttoaineita kehitysmaissa edistävään kumppanuushankkeeseen. [:]
Heidi Hautala on Euroopan parlamentin polttoaineiden laatua käsittelevän lainsäädännön esittelijän ominaisuudessa osallistunut hankkeen suunnitteluun alusta lähtien.
Hankepartnereina ovat mm. YK:n kehitysohjelma UNEP, UNDESA (YK:n talous- ja sosiaaliasioiden osasto), Environment Australia, Kiinan ja Kenian hallitukset, International Fuel Quality Center, Euroopan ja Japanin autoteollisuuden keskusjärjestöt ACEA ja JAMA, Lubrizol ja kansainvälinen lasten lyijymyrkytysten ehkäisemistä ajava järjestö. USA:n ympäristövirasto EPA neuvottelee yhdessä teollisuuskumppaneiden kanssa liittymisestä kansainväliseen kumppanuussopimukseen.
Alla on Heidi Hautalan puhe eilisestä kumppanuushankkeen julkistamistilaisuudesta ja tarkempi selvitys kumppanuushankkeen sisällöstä.
HEIDI HAUTALA, MEP SPEECH
WSSD SIDE EVENT ON CLEANER FUELS AND CLEANER AIR 29/8/02
· Ladies and Gentlemen: Some of you may wonder why a member of a parliament is taking part in a partnership initiative. The explanation is my role as the rapporteur for the European Parliament on fuel quality when the European Union has been legislating on cleaner fuels. As Rapporteur on fuel quality I have directly experienced the importance of creating multi-stakeholder processes and facilitating the exchange of technical and policy experiences between the European Institutions, the EU Member States, industry, and NGOs. In our own policy making process on fuels quality, vehicle emissions, and air quality we have also been confronted with the different economic and environmental realities between current members states within the European Union as well as the new candidate countries. These differences have been taken into account in a variety of ways such as the introduction of tax incentives which facilitate the earlier introduction of cleaner fuels by those countries ready to do so and the allowance of transition periods for countries not ready to fully implement our legislative requirements on fuel quality.
· I recall an inspiring meeting with Dr. Topfer, Mrs. Dixson-Decleve of the International Fuel Quality Center and myself early this year and I am very pleased to be here today to see the ideas discussed come to fruition and to see how much support the concept of forming a partnership with governments, international organsations, NGOs and industry to assist the developing countries to address air pollution problems has received.
· Air pollution from cars is a significant problem in developing countries, negatively affecting human health and the environment. Vehicle-related pollution often accounts for up to 70% of air pollution in emerging urban centres. The related problems are growing fast due to the large growth in vehicle transport, and increasing concentration of population in urban areas. I believe that the initiative taken by this partnership to provide for a forum to tackle these problems is an important one. I am also very pleased to see that the United States Environmental Protection Agency is working with industry partners on a very similar initiative and I hope that we can merge these two or at least work together on the lead and sulfur issues which are overlapping.
· Many of us here are apprehensive that the sustainable development agenda is facing a “crisis in implementation”. I would also like to underline that the type of partnership initiative which is being launched here is created to complement the so called “type 1” outcomes i.e. political and legal commitments by the government and in no way seeks to replace government obligations.
· I would also like to stress the importance of using transparent and inclusive methods in engaging new partners and in decision-making within the partnership. The Steering Committee will need to ensure equity between partners and easy public access for the deliberations and membership of the partnership. As long as the modalities of this type of partnerships are left to self-regulation I believe our partnership should take extra care to guarantee transparency of our work and thus contribute to accountability.
Hankekuvaus:
GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR CLEANER FUELS AND VEHICLES FOR CLEANER AIR:
Working in Partnership to Help Countries Meet Their Clean Air Goals Through A Co-ordinated Approach to Fuel Quality Improvements
__________
PRELIMINARY PARTNERSHIP PROJECT PROPOSAL
TO BE FINALISED BY THE PARTNERSHIP STEERING COMMITTEE
The Global Partnership for Cleaner Fuels and Vehicles for Cleaner Air to be announced at the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) brings together governments, industry, intergovernmental organisations and non-governmental organisations to assist developing country governments to address vehicular air pollution and to complement legislative initiatives on fuels and vehicles. It will focus on three priority areas:
· Assistance in the creation of lead phase out/elimination programs, and/or the implementation and achievement of existing lead phase out/elimination goals,
· The implementation of clean fuel programs addressing fuel quality parameters in addition to lead, such as sulfur, and aromatics and benzene where appropriate,
· Introducing vehicle and emission control technologies to reduce emissions.
The Challenge
Vehicle-related air pollution is a significant problem in developing countries, negatively affecting human health and the environment. Vehicle-related pollution often accounts for up to 70% of air pollution in emerging urban centres. The related problems are growing fast due to the large growth in vehicle transport, and increasing concentration of population in urban areas. With the support of bilateral technical co-operation and the assistance of international organisations and relevant NGOs, many countries have undertaken steps to address this problem by developing strategies and programs to curb air pollution. Efforts made range from elimination of lead from gasoline and introduction of fuel specifications, improvement of mass transit and land use planning. However, the potential of achieving air quality goals from improving fuel quality has been, if not overlooked, not fully realised in existing programmes. It is recognised, however, that fuel quality needs to be part of an overall transport policy packages, including vehicle standards, inspection and maintenance programmes and pubic and non-motorised transport systems. Improved air quality will contribute to health improvements, and thereby contribute to social and economic development and specific Millennium Goals as well.
At the ninth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development held in April 2001, as well as other occasions, the international community recommended that efforts be undertaken to promote the use of cleaner fuels and specifically pointed to the need to reduce sulphur and benzene as well as eliminate lead from gasoline.
Partnership Objectives
The proposed Type II partnership initiative will bring together governments, industry and NGOs, and build on existing commitments and activities. It will help governments to design and implement strategies and policies to facilitate a wider use of cleaner fuels, including the phase-out of lead and the reduction of other fuels parameters seen to have an impact on human health and the environment such as sulphur in gasoline and diesel, as well as, benzene and aromatics in gasoline, and address vehicle and emission control technologies to reduce emissions.
The partners will contribute their resources and expertise to assist developing countries in achieving their clean air goals through the following joint activities:
· Provide a platform for the exchange of experiences and successful practices in developed and developing countries related to developing relevant transport policies, setting fuel quality and vehicle emissions standards and regulations, introducing and promoting new fuel and vehicle technologies in a comprehensive, cost effective and integrated manner.
· Provide technical assistance to developing countries and build capacities to improve fuel quality, starting with eliminating lead from gasoline where still appropriate, and including reducing the content of sulphur in gasoline and diesel fuels and benzene and aromatics in gasoline where appropriate,
· Provide case studies on technical and regulatory measures to enhance the effective co-ordination of fuel quality and vehicle emissions control improvements and encourage the adoption of cost effective clean vehicle and refinery technologies.
· Help develop public outreach materials and awareness campaigns to facilitate the acceptance of cleaner fuel strategies and measures.
· Foster key partnerships between the relevant stakeholders within a country and between countries to facilitate implementation of clean fuel commitments.
· Secure firm commitments for the introduction of improved fuel quality, and other fuel and vehicle-related measures, that are tailor-made to achieve the air quality improvement needs of the respective participating developing countries.
These efforts will be designed to assist governments to meet their previous commitments, such as the Dakar Declaration signed by 25 Sub-Saharan countries to accelerate the phase out leaded gasoline, those made at the nineteenth Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the International Roundtable on Transportation Energy Efficiency held in Cairo, December 1999 and the ninth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development.
Partners will build on experiences made by many countries around the world in the development of urban air quality strategies which address changes in fuel quality specifications including the phase out of lead, and reducing the content of benzene and aromatics in gasoline where appropriate and of sulphur in gasoline and diesel fuels.
The membership and deliberations of the partnership will be publicly accessible at any stage throughout the initiative.
A Steering Committee will be established to start to discuss future activities, and will be called upon to develop an implementation plan. The partners listed under this partnership are currently working with partners supporting a similar US initiative to merge the two partnerships into one partnership on clean fuels and vehicles. Partners will be signing a Partnership Statement of Intent after the first Steering Committee group meeting in which they will commit to work together to contribute to the design and implementation of the partnership activities.
Partnership Launch at WSSD
The Partnership will be announced at a WSSD side-event gathering high-level representatives from governments, industry, NGOs and IGOs.
Furthermore, the side event will provide an opportunity to:
· Discuss issues related to fuel quality in the context of air quality and climate change;
· Exchange experiences in this area; and
· Discuss future activities under the partnership.
Independently from the launch, partners will be welcomed to join throughout the project.
List of Current Partners
· United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
· United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)
· Environment Australia
· Government of China
· Government of Kenya
· Heidi Hautala, Member of the European Parliament
· International Fuel Quality Center (IFQC)
· Association of European Automotive Manufacturers (ACEA)
· Association of Japanese Automotive Manufacturers (JAMA)
· Lubrizol
· Alliance to end childhood lead poisoning.
