European Commission not informed about Romania move against carbon cuts

The European Commission has not yet received any official note that Romania joined other seven EU member states to challenge the Commission position in court about its decision to force a cut of carbon emissions by 20%, Dow Jones informs. Romania’s European Affairs Department director Adrian Ciocanea has told HotNews.ro that Romania did not have to notify the Commission. The Romanian government decided on December 21 to challenge the EC decision that forces Romania to cut carbon emissions by 20%.

Presently, there are seven other EU member states joining forces against the Commission on the issue: the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Hungary.

Ciocanea declared that Romania does not expect any reaction from the Commission since no negotiations were held. He added that the junior European court where the challenge was submitted did not set a date for the process, but procedures can take a year. However, Romania is expected to comply with the decision of the Commission until the court rules on the issue.

At its turn, Romanian Environment minister Atilla Korodi says, quoted by Romanian news agency Rompres, that the decision of the Commission can negatively implact all environment investments since the decision increases costs in the area.

The Commission’s decision is also challenged by the Romanian government, which argues that the Commission cannot have the right to impose limits but can only accept or reject a country’s emission caps.