Documents Núñez Ferrer, Jorge 8 results

"In March 2009, CEPS formed a Task Force under the chairmanship of Anders Wijkman, former MEP, Vice Chairman of the Taellberg Foundation and Vice President of the Club of Rome, to examine the impacts of climate change and the extent to which the EU budget can effectively assist in addressing them. Based on the discussions among the Task Force members and independent analysis by the rapporteur, Jorge Núñéz Ferrer, with contributions from Christian Egenhofer and Arno Behrens, this report recommends the fundamental reforms to the EU budget, which are necessary for the EU to achieve its objectives on climate change, along with helping it to lead the global effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions."

"This paper focuses on the damage – and the potential for inflicting further damage – to investor confidence arising from legal uncertainties surrounding renewable energy support in some EU member states. A higher-than-expected expansion of the renewables sector, resulting in higher costs of the support, combined with the financial crisis, has driven some member states to radically curtail renewable energy support schemes. Loss-making investors unsuccessfully challenged these EU governments in national courts, arguing that their rights had been violated and denounced reforms that they considered to be retroactively punitive in nature. A number of EU-based international investors turned to international arbitration courts under the provisions of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), which protects cross-border investment in the energy sector. This move, however, has called into question the legal framework of the single market and EU state aid rules. A dispute on the jurisdiction of the ECT within the single market has ensued, which highlights a complex and unresolved situation. While the legal disputes accumulate, the concern is that investors may shy away from the EU as a result of the regulatory and legal uncertainties. The main aim of the paper is to provide some clarity for non-specialists on a complex situation, and to highlight the need to find workable solutions that de facto restore investor confidence."

Climate change policy cannot be the first priority of the EU for the immediate future. However, in spite of the corona-crisis the urgency of climate change mitigation has not disappeared. The post-corona recovery can both put the EU's decarbonisation progress back on track – after low-carbon investments will inevitably take a hit – but the EU's Green Deal proposals can likewise support the general economic recovery. It will be important to ensure that recovery measures are compatible with global climate change and European Green Deal priorities so that stimulus money will flow to economic activities that have a place in a climate-neutral world. As time passes, the re-launch may actually offer a unique opportunity for the EU to live up to the Green Deal's promise of economic modernisation along the Paris decarbonisation objectives. The period we have until the relaunch should be used to develop a new agenda. These ideas will not per se be off-the-shelf but go beyond current solutions for decarbonisation. Instead of tinkering around the margins, the EU should focus on transformational technologies, and for example go big on low-carbon infrastructure, efficient buildings, and lead markets to boost demand for climate-neutral industry."

"Recovery from the Covid-19 crisis presents an important and unique opportunity for the EU to accelerate its transition towards a climate-neutral and circular economy. While there is little dispute about the opportunities offered by the funds available for the low-carbon and circular economy, the longer-term impact on Europe's decarbonisation trajectory will depend on the choices made in the National Recovery and Resilience Plans and on how the overall policy framework is adapted.

After describing the EU recovery plan, this paper discusses various policy instruments – both new and existing – to create demand for circular materials and lower-carbon products, illustrated by examples of four resource and carbon-intensive sectors, namely construction, steel, textiles and plastics. Acknowledging the immediate need for short-term economic recovery and employment creation, opportunities to accelerate the transition are there, for example in future-proof infrastructure, no-regret projects, and in industry and construction, even if the short-term employment effects may not be significant. Investment will need to be coupled with reforms that enable new circular and low-carbon value chains to develop. A major challenge is the continuous monitoring of the sustainability impacts of the Plans, drawing lessons from the last global financial crisis where monitoring of the environmental effects of stimulus programmes was for the most part absent."

"This is the first of a series of reports dedicated to the preparation and implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility of the EU. It sets out some of the main risks to the success of the recovery programmes, such as a lack of focus and mistargeting, maintaining unsustainable sectors, delays in implementation, and the lack of both a European dimension and the capacity to implement such a complex programme over and above the normal EU budget.

These risks can be mitigated or avoided, however. The report also presents a number of solutions to ensure that aspects critical to the recovery programmes – and the key objective of longer-term resilience – are implemented. It highlights the necessity for serious structural reforms in member states, better management and control systems at EU level, well-designed active labour market policies, and a clear framework for public private partnerships to ensure that they are used more effectively."

"The COVID-19 crisis has had a substantial impact on the EU27 economy and triggered unprecedented policy responses across Europe and the globe. With evidence on the effects on the EU industry manifested until the beginning of 2021, this report aims to address the following key issues: (1) impact of COVID-19 on the EU economy as a whole and across sectors; (2) impact on strategic value chains; and (3) necessary recovery measures to meet the needs of the EU industry. This document was provided by the Policy Department for Economic, Scientific and Quality of Life Policies at the request of the committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)."

"The Covid-19 crisis has laid bare the vulnerability of coal regions. Economic recovery and associated funding, as well as the need for new low-carbon solutions, offers a unique opportunity to address the transition of coal regions. The combination of worsening economics of coal and the increasingly universal move towards carbon neutrality makes redeveloping coal regions a priority.
The EU is home to a large number of successful coal region transitions, many of which are ongoing. In one way or another, long-term environmental, sustainable and low-carbon technologies and business solutions are becoming a central element of the transition.
Special Economic Zones (SEZ) are geographically limited areas where companies' operations are governed by specific rules on taxation, public funding for infrastructure, simplified planning procedures, the provision of specialised business services and attractive living and working conditions. They can play a decisive role in accelerating the economic development of regions affected by economic decline or stagnation.
Effective planning and programming, good governance and the engagement of local stakeholders and the local economy are preconditions for attracting long-term sustainable private investment. Getting governance right has proved to be one of the key determinants of successful transition.
Public funding will also be required, but only as one of the enabling tools, for example to build infrastructure, clean up sites for training and retraining and, more generally, to ease the transition.The EU Recovery and Resilience Facility together with EU budgetary sources, based on the Territorial Just Transition Plans for example, will be able to provide sufficient public money to catalyse private investment where regional plans are sufficiently developed."

"The EU budget's current financial architecture is inappropriate to effectively address the various crises it has faced in recent years. This CEPS Policy Brief presents some immediate actions to raise overall funding and to address the impacts of the war in Ukraine with unspent EU funds. It also calls for longer term reforms to support the creation of a budget fit to respond to the next wave of future challenges that the EU will undoubtedly have to face."