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The network intends to mobilise existing and on-going research on tradeable emission permits and other related flexible mechanisms so as to provide the policy process at European level with the latest insights and findings. The objective is to identify the frontiers of such research and help animate relevant new research. The network will keep key sectoral interest groups and the social partners to be informed on latest research findings and researchers on emerging needs and issues in the policy process.

The Kyoto Protocol allows trading of greenhouse gas emissions across national frontiers as a means of complying with agreed national quota limits. CATEP (Concerted Action on Tradable Emission Permits) intends to bridge the gap between Europe and the US in integrating emissions trading into global climate change policy. The fundamental objective of CATEP is to provide a link between the work of the research community on the one hand, and the needs of the practitioners on the other. In particular, CATEP intends to:

  • Mobilise existing and on-going research on tradable emission permits and other related flexible mechanisms so as to provide the policy process at European level with the latest insights and findings; outputs: series of Research Policy Briefs;
  • Identify the frontiers of such research and help animate relevant new research; outputs: Working papers presented at Workshops.
  • Help key sectoral interest groups and the social partners keep informed on latest findings and developments; outputs- the Workshops will be designed to encourage and facilitate shared learning, and a forum will be provided at such workshops for such interest groups.
  • Keep researchers informed by the policy process on emerging needs and issues; outputs: from the outset – including the design of this proposal – users and potential users have been involved in discussions as to what issues and themes research should concentrate on, and how it should be approached and ‘packaged’
  • A series of five Workshops on key issues are to be held over 30 month. They will address the following issues: overview of key inssues emissions trading, including theory and practise; domestic trading; regional trading; global trading; synthesis on key insights from the other workshops presented with particular focus on the needs of those in the policy process mechanisms. Besides, there will be one Country Forum that will provide an opportunity for practitioners operating at national level to present their progress, and raise issues for discussion amongst peers, and the research community.

    The project started in December 2000 and will last 30 months. It is co-ordinated by the Prof. Frank Convery of University College of Dublin (Ireland) and involves other 13 European partners.

    The Kyoto Protocol to the Framework Convention on Climate Change was agreed in Kyoto in December 1997, and established for the first time in the history of international environmental agreements binding emission reduction targets for the industrialised countries. As one means of complying with these limits the Kyoto Protocol allows the trading of greenhouse gas emissions across national borders. This gave rise both to a lot of research regarding emissions trading and its effects as well as to the emergence of various emission trading schemes implemented at different economic and geographic levels.

    The fundamental objective of the EC funded Concerted Action on Emissions Trading (CATEP) is to provide a link between the work of the research community on the one hand, and the needs of the practitioners on the other. In particular CATEP aims at mobilising existing and on-going research on tradable emission permits and other related flexible mechanisms in order to provide the policy process at European level with the latest insights and findings. Furthermore it should help animate relevant new research by keeping researchers informed through the policy process on emerging needs and issues. The aim is to deepen the dialogue between researchers, key sectoral interest groups and the social partners.

    A series of five Workshops on key issues are to be held over 30 month. They will address the following issues: overview of key inssues emissions trading, including theory and practise; domestic trading; regional trading; global trading; synthesis on key insights from the other workshops presented with particular focus on the needs of those in the policy process mechanisms. Besides, there will be one Country Forum that will provide an opportunity for practitioners operating at national level to present their progress, and raise issues for discussion amongst peers, and the research community. The CATEP workshops are designed to encourage and facilitate shared learning. The specific objectives are to provide a forum for: state of the art research; linkage of research to the policy process, including presentation of emerging practise; networking of researchers and the development of new research ideas in the field of emissions trading.

    Outputs of this Concerted Action will include a series of Research Policy Briefs and Working Papers.

    FEEM is one member of the network and is the host of the first workshop that is organised within the CATEP workshop series. The title of the workshop is "Trading scales: Harmonising Industry, National and International Emission Trading Schemes" and it will take place in Venice in October 2001.