15 Ministers call on EU to move on carbon cutting legislation

Ministers from 15 European countries have called on the EU Commission to adopt new carbon cutting legislation and accelerate reforms to the bloc's emissions trading scheme (ETS).

The Green Growth Group, which includes representatives from Denmark, France Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway, released a statement on Thursday calling on the Commission to "start rapidly with work" on to update legislation related to the 2020 and the 2030 climate and energy framework.

The group’s proposals cover a wide range of a range of measures including to the restore the effectiveness of the EU ETS.

They also call for the introduction of a Market Stability Reserve to be brought forward to 2017, rather than 2021 as planned.

The statement also urges the Commission to begin implementing and updating new and existing legislation that "delivers on the bloc's 2020 and 2030 environment and energy goals".

The group also expressed its support for the Commission's new Work Programme and urges it to integrate Europe's climate and energy targets.

The statement comes in the wake of controversial comments from Commission President Jean Claude Juncker and his withdrawal of a circular economy package from the Work Programme.

Ed Davey, the UK’s Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, said: "The Green Growth Group, which I set up, is today giving a clear steer that the Commission, Council and Parliament need to work together to strengthen the EU Emissions Trading Scheme so that it can make decarbonisation in Europe more attractive, and to push ahead with legislation to implement our target of cutting Greenhouse Gas emissions by at least 40 per cent domestically.”

The Prince of Wales's Corporate Leaders Group (CLG) welcomed the statement and CLG chair Philippe Joubert said: "For further business and investor confidence, we need a Commission Work Programme promoting an integrated industrial, energy, climate and internal market policy framework."