Council of States withdraws ambitions for the revised CO2 Act
Published: Thursday, Feb 29th 2024, 12:10
Updated At: Thursday, Feb 29th 2024, 12:11
Back to Live Feed
The Councils have not yet reached agreement on the revised CO2 Act for the period from 2025. The Council of States is insisting on a watered-down version compared to the National Council on several points, such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Switzerland.
The Council of States does not want to prescribe a fixed quota for the reduction of greenhouse gases in Switzerland. It confirmed this on Thursday by 31 votes to 12. Accordingly, greenhouse gas emissions should "primarily" be reduced domestically. The Federal Council must determine the exact proportion.
Welcome technology transfer
Jakob Stark (SVP/TG) said that it was irrelevant whether CO2 compensation projects were implemented in Switzerland or abroad. There was no reason to restrict the Federal Council's flexibility. The technology transfer associated with such projects was certainly very welcome abroad.
A red-green minority would have preferred the National Council's more ambitious approach. It wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent with domestic measures. It wants to leave it up to the Federal Council to set guideline values for individual sectors, as provided for in the Climate Protection Act.
Implementing the will of the people
Céline Vara (Greens/NE) said that if the climate targets were to be achieved, greenhouse gases would actually have to be reduced 100 percent domestically. As one of the richest countries, Switzerland must set a good example.
Mathilde Crevoisier Crelier (SP/JU) pointed out that although projects abroad are cheaper, there is the question of control. Maja Graf (Greens/BL) recalled the yes vote in the referendum on the Climate Protection Act. It was about implementing the will of the people.
Environment Minister Albert Rösti countered that the entire proposal was not geared towards a 75% reduction in Switzerland. With the current measures, just under two thirds of the reduction could be achieved domestically. There are contracts for compensation projects with eleven countries.
Money for charging stations controversial
The financial support for charging infrastructure for e-cars in multi-party buildings is controversial. The Council of States decided by 24 votes to 20 not to allocate any money for this. The purchase of an e-car is individual and should not be financed with public funds, said Damian Müller (FDP/LU).
The National Council, on the other hand, wants to support basic installations for charging stations with up to CHF 20 million a year. A red-green minority in the Council of States considered the support to be necessary for the energy transition. Céline Vara (Greens/NE) said that people sometimes decide not to buy an e-car due to a lack of charging stations.
There is also disagreement on the performance-related heavy vehicle charge (HVC) for alternative drive systems. At the request of a strong minority, the Council of States confirmed that it would stick with the current law until the revised HVF comes into force. Accordingly, the Federal Council will decide which vehicles should be exempt from the HVF and to what extent.
Prevent billions in losses
The minority argued that a loss of billions in revenue should be avoided. The National Council wants a temporary and differentiated reduction in the HVF for electric trucks and trucks powered by renewable fuels.
The Council of States approved the compromise proposed by the majority regarding the mineral oil tax for licensed bus companies: this tax is to become due from 2026 for local buses, but not until 2030 in rural areas, although exceptions are to be made if topographical reasons justify them.
The revised CO2 Act for the period 2025 to 2030 is intended to help achieve the Swiss net-zero target for 2050 and a secure energy supply. Switzerland has committed itself to this under the Paris Climate Agreement. Greenhouse gas emissions are to be halved by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic