EU Nations Could Vote on CO2 Before Parliament, EU Official Says

European Union governments could vote on a measure to delay sales of some carbon permits before a related parliamentary vote to amend the bloc’s emissions law, an EU official said.

Representatives of national governments in the Climate Change Committee could hold a vote on a planned measure to postpone auctions of permits and then decide to delay the start of a mandatory scrutiny period until a decision on the law change is made in a separate process, the official said.

The European Commission, the bloc’s regulatory arm, is considering various procedural scenarios on its two-element plan to curtail the excess supply of permits, according to the official, who declined to be identified, citing policy. The commission’s draft strategy involves the proposed amendment and a separate measure to “backload” a number of permits at auctions as of 2013.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ewa Krukowska in Brussels at ekrukowska@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jones Hayden at jhayden1@bloomberg.net