(MENAFN- Swissinfo) The revised CO2 Act is intended to regulate the reduction of greenhouse gases in the years 2025 to 2030. In the consultations, the less ambitious Senate often prevailed. Below are some of the key resolutions.
This content was published on March 15, 2024 - 15:23 6 minutes Keystone-SDA
REDUCTION TARGET: Swiss greenhouse gas emissions are to be halved by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. The House of Representatives wanted at least 75% of the reduction to be achieved through domestic measures and a maximum of 25% through projects abroad, as under current law. In the debate on the differences, it lowered the domestic quota to 70%. However, the Senate ultimately prevailed; along with
the Federal Council, it wanted a reduction primarily in Switzerland, but without writing a specific quota into the law. The Federal Council should be able to regulate such a quota. The version proposed by the Senate envisions the potential for the domestic share at around two-thirds. Environment Minister Albert Rösti assured Parliament that he would propose a quota of 66% to the Federal Council. This should be achievable with the adopted measures.
CHARGING STATIONS: The Federal Council had wanted to promote charging infrastructure for electric cars, for example in apartment buildings and public car parks, with a maximum of CHF30 million ($34 million) a year until 2030 funded by the fuel tax. However, this was not supported by Parliament. The Senate was against this measure from the outset because it believed setting up charging infrastructure was a matter for private individuals. The House of Representatives attempted to save the subsidy measure with compromise proposals, but these failed. One such proposal involved supporting the installation of basic infrastructure in apartment complexes and companies with CHF20 million per year for six years.
VEHICLE LIMITS: The House of Representatives would have liked to take a more ambitious approach to CO2
limits for cars but was thwarted by the Senate. It wanted to set annual interim targets in order to achieve a linear reduction in new cars from 93.6 grams of CO2
per kilometre in 2025 to 49.5 grams of CO2 per kilometre in 2030. However, the Senate did not support these interim targets. The Federal Council also argued in favour of this path and against a“Swiss finish”. From 2030, new passenger cars will be allowed to emit a maximum of 49.5 grams of CO2
per kilometre and new delivery vans and light articulated lorries a maximum of 90.6 grams. There are also reduction targets for heavy vehicles.
CO2 TAX: The CO2 tax remains at CHF120 per tonne of CO2. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate also want to invest up to one-third of the revenue from the buildings programme into promotion of renewable energy and technologies to reduce greenhouse gases. The Federal Council would have wanted to earmark up to half of the revenue for this purpose by 2030 and return a smaller residual amount to the economy and the population.
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FUELS: Both
the House of Representatives and the Senate
dispensed with the transfer obligation for renewable fuels proposed by the Federal Council. According to the Senate committee, this obligation would have increased the price of a litre of fuel at the pump by around five centimes. The Council of States initially supported the transfer obligation, while the National Council rejected it from the outset. The senate followed suit. Its Environment Committee had requested that it be waived in favour of broad acceptance of the law.
HEAVY TRANSPORT TAX: The current law on exempting lorries using alternative fuels from the distance-related heavy vehicle fee (HVF) remains in place. The Senate has prevailed here. The provisions are to apply until the revised HVF Act comes into force, which is subject to consultation until May 23. The draft provides for investment contributions and partial exemption from the HVF for lorries with electric and hydrogen engines from 2031, as Environment Minister Albert Rösti explained. The House of Representatives initially wanted a temporary and differentiated exemption for electric lorries and lorries with renewable fuels, but eventually agreed with the Senate.
AIR TRAFFIC: Renewable fuels must be added to paraffin refuelled in Switzerland. Parliament wants to regulate the blending quota in the air transport agreement with the EU. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate decided that the emissions in CO2 equivalents for the respective flight will be noted on flight tickets. Both chambers have rejected a levy per flight with business or private jets.
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COMPANIES: In principle, all companies, and not certain sectors as at present, should be able to be exempt from the CO2 levy if they enter into a commitment to reduce their CO2
emissions in return. The reduction commitments are limited until 2040. Companies must submit a decarbonisation plan three years after they begin and then update it regularly.
BUS AND TRAIN TRANSPORT: It has been clarified when the reimbursement of gas tax for licensed bus companies is to be cancelled. For local buses, this will be the case from the beginning of 2026 and in rural areas from 2030 – unless an exception is necessary for topographical reasons. A better international passenger train service is to be subsidised, especially night trains.
FINANCIAL MARKET: The Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA and the Swiss National Bank must regularly report on the assessment of climate-related financial risks, such as more frequent storms and droughts. Parliament is not only calling for regular reports on audit results, but also reports on any measures for the financial system.
Adapted from German by DeepL/kc/amva
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