John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 58: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the way Ireland compares with other EU member states regarding their progress towards meeting their targets under the Kyoto protocol. [42648/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Kyoto Protocol requires that, the then 15 Member States in the European Union must reduce their aggregate emissions by 8% on 1990 levels during the 2008-2012 Kyoto commitment period. There is no equivalent joint commitment for the current 25 Member States. Under burden-sharing arrangements agreed by the EU in 2002, Ireland must limit its emissions to not greater than 13% above 1990 levels in the 2008-2012 period.

The latest report from the European Commission Progress Towards Achieving the Kyoto Objectives (COM (2006) 658), shows that, based on the latest available inventory data (2004), the EU-15 have a gap of almost 8 percentage points to close in order to reach the target, while Ireland's gap is slightly higher at 10 percentage points. Comparing recent progress, however, shows that Ireland has reduced the gap by 4 percentage points since 2001, while there was a slight increase in the gap in the EU-15 as a whole over the same period.

The report projects that the EU-15 will reach its target of reducing emissions to 8% below 1990 levels during the 2008-2012 period. This will be possible with additional measures, use of carbon sinks and use of the Kyoto Protocol flexible mechanisms to purchase allowances. Ireland will also meet its target under the EU burden-sharing agreement with existing and additional domestic measures, use of carbon sinks and use of the Kyoto Protocol flexible mechanisms.