Politecnico at the European Parliament for discussing the future of the EU Emissions Trading System
Politecnico di Torino was the only Italian academic institution attending the closed-door hearing on the review of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), which took place on 30 September at the European Parliament in Brussels. The University was represented by Professor David Chiaramonti, from the “Galileo Ferraris” Department of Energy (DENERG), who was invited to the hearing by Pierfrancesco Maran, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI).
The hearing took place at a crucial stage in the European legislative process, as the European Parliament prepares to define its negotiating position on the proposed revision of the ETS. While seeking to reconcile the various political groups’ positions, the EU Parliament is also preparing for the forthcoming discussions with the Member States in the European Council.
The discussion focused on one of the most significant issues for the future of European climate and industrial policy, examining the links between decarbonisation, industrial competitiveness, energy costs, innovation, security and the resilience of the Italian and European production systems, against the backdrop of nowadays challenging geopolitical context.
The meeting included politicians and representatives of the Italian business sector – including the energy, industrial, and craft sectors – from companies, associations, federations and NGOs. In this context, Politecnico di Torino was the only Italian academic institution to join the discussion, introducing the perspective of scientific research into the debate. Politecnico's presence fits into its broader ‘Third Mission’, defined as the academic capacity to share knowledge, expertise and research findings with decision-makers, the business sector and society as a whole, thus contributing to the policy-making process and the discussion of today’s major challenges.
“The opportunity to hear the numerous contributions from industry representatives, associations and other stakeholders on the revision of the Emissions Trading Scheme was extremely interesting – commented Professor David Chiaramonti – Moreover, the opportunity to raise the issue of Sustainable Aviation Fuels and biochar with Members of the European Parliament was highly significant, calling attention to some of the technical aspects that make these solutions an essential contribution to the energy transition, along with European security and competitiveness”.