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Friday, 19 April 2024
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Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-02-25Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Emissions trading plan signedEnvironment, Town Planning and Public Works Minister George Souflias on Monday signed a decision approving Greece's National Allocation Plan for Emission Trading in 2008-2012. The minister said that this will bring about a 16.6 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for 152 industrial enterprises."We had initially proposed an 8.9 percent reduction, but after consultation with the European Commission and given that the EU has decided to reduce emissions by 20 percent by the year 2020, we decided to increase this percentage," the environment minister said. With the plan approved on Monday and other measures taken by the government, Greece would more than cover its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, he added. The industrial complexes included in the emissions trading plan included 33 power plants, 24 other furnace-type installations, four refineries, a smelting plant, five iron and steel plants, eight cement plants, 18 lime production plants, one glass factory, 44 ceramics factories and 14 paper factories. The total emission rights to be allocated in 2008-2012 were finally calculated at 345,606,165 tonnes of carbon dioxide, all of which are allocated free of charge. About 4.8 percent of the total emission rights allocated have also been set aside for new plants in 2008-2012, amounting to 16,740,701 tonnes of carbon dioxide. "In our effort to deal with climate change, apart from finalising the National Allocation Plan, we have increased the scientific staff at the Bureau for Monitoring Emission Rights at the environment ministry and begun to cooperate with the Chemical Engineers School at the National Technical University of Athens," Souflias said. He also cited measures additional taken by the government, such as introducing optimal available techniques in industry, increasing the frequency of inspections, promoting the use of renewable energy sources and creating a special spatial plan for this sector, as well as measures for dealing with urban pollution, ensuring the rapid distribution of natural gas, promoting energy conservation in the home and tertiary sector and extending the Athens metro. Caption: ANA-MPA file photograph of the Aspropyrgos oil refineries. [02] Greek design for anniversary coinThe design submitted by the Bank of Greece mint, the work of sculptor George Stamatopoulos, has been chosen for a commemorative two-euro coin to be issued by all Eurozone countries in 2009 to mark 10 years since the circulation of the euro. The winning design was announced by the European Commission on Monday and was chosen by EU citizens through an Internet vote.The anniversary coin will go into circulation in January 2009 and was chosen by voters among five finalist designs selected by the directors of European mints among 42 designs originally submitted. The winning design received 41,48 percent of the vote, in which more than 141,500 people took part. According to a Commission announcement, the commemorative coin for the 10th anniversary since the creation of the euro symbolises the long history of trade, from pre-historic barter - evoked by the deliberately primitive design - to Economic and Monetary Union, while roughly 90 million copies of the coin will be minted. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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