Press Release: Emissions trading: strong compliance in 2006, emissions decoupled from economic growth

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from installations participating in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) increased by 0.3% in 2006 when adjusted for the entry of new installations into the scheme. This is well below the 3% growth in EU Gross Domestic Product recorded in the same year. Based on the information received by the Community Independent Transaction Log (CITL) from Member State registries, all but 1% of installations surrendered emission allowances equal to their verified 2006 emissions by the 1 May 2007 deadline. The Emissions Trading Scheme ensures that greenhouse gas emissions from the energy and industry sectors covered are cut at least cost to the economy, thus helping the EU and its Member States to meet their emission commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.