This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Taxonomy Jan-May 2021'.



Ref. Ares(2021)2559127 - 15/04/2021
From: 
 (CAB-VON DER LEYEN) 
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jeudi 15 avril 2021 10:55 
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Subject: 
Letter on taxonomy from Prime Ministers of Finland and Sweden 
Attachments: 
2021-04-15 FINAL FI SE letter to Com President.docx 
 
Dears, 
 
Please register. 
 
 
 
From: 
@vnk.fi 
@vnk.fi>  
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2021 10:26 AM 
To: SEIBERT Bjoern (CAB-VON DER LEYEN) 
@ec.europa.eu>; 
 (CAB-VON 
DER LEYEN) 
@ec.europa.eu> 
Cc: 
 (CAB-VON DER LEYEN) <
@ec.europa.eu>; 
 (CAB-
VON DER LEYEN) <
@ec.europa.eu> 
Subject: Letter on taxonomy from Prime Ministers of Finland and Sweden 
 
Dear 
 
 
 
Please find enclosed a joint letter on taxonomy from Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Prime Minister Stefan 
Löfven. 
 
Best regards, 
 
 
 
 
Prime Minister’s Office, Helsinki 
 
@vnk.fi 
 





Ref. Ares(2021)2559127 - 15/04/2021
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Helsinki and Stockholm 15th April 2021 
 
President of the European Commission 
Ms Ursula von der Leyen 
Brussels 
 
 
Dear President von der Leyen, dear Ursula, 
 
We welcome the Commission’s efforts in drafting the technical screening criteria for 
taxonomy and want to continue a dialogue in order to contribute to an outcome that creates 
a stable investment and operating environment. Forestry continues to be among our key 
economic sectors. This is why we have put so much effort into sustainable forest 
management that supports a holistic approach, combining climate and biodiversity goals 
and the economy. To enable the multiuse of forests also in the future we continue to stress 
that existing tools should be fully utilised when designing the screening criteria. 
 
Although we believe that the revised draft delegated act presented in the MSEG on 24 
March is a step in the right direction, especially the revised description of the activity and 
the removal of the additionality requirement, most of the problems pointed out by Finland, 
Sweden and 10 other member states in their letter on Forestry of 5 February remain. For 
example, the criteria still do not stay true to the recast renewable energy directive (REDII) 
and still creates disproportionate administrative burdens. 
 
We are still concerned that the taxonomy will not fulfil its purpose and may even be, in 
some cases, counterproductive. Increased administrative burdens without any real benefit 
for the climate would create adverse incentives for forest-owners and bioenergy investors. 
The requirements on Forestry are far more extensive and detailed than other complex 
activities in the taxonomy. We question this from the point of view of proportionality. 
  
We are also concerned with the fact that the Commission has introduced divergencies in 
technical criteria in the proposed delegated act vis-a-vis existing EU legislation, creating 
double standards. The legal ground for the proposed delegated act empowers the 
Commission to adopt delegated acts that “supplement” the regulation.  The Commission’s 
power to adopt delegated acts cannot therefore change the essential elements of the law. 
Additionally, such proposals would be contrary to and go beyond the scope of the 
Regulation, which states that the technical screening criteria shall be in line with REDII. 
 
Many of the concerns we have had in relation to the first draft of the delegated act remain. 
In view of this, we would want to see the following changes made to the revised draft 
delegated act:   
 
 
 
 


 
Forestry 
 
 
-  Full alignment with REDII. To achieve this, further changes, not least to the 
climate benefit analysis and the Do no significant harm (DNSH) criteria are 
needed. 
 
-  Extending the use of REDII forest management criteria, in the context of 
taxonomy, to all forestry activities, does not mean status quo but an ambitious step 
further in their application. 
 
-  Less detailed provisions for the forest management plans.  
 
-  A realistic permanence requirement. We remain supportive of the proposal put 
forward by 12 member states on 5 February.  
 
-  The DNSH should not go beyond existing EU legislation. In relation to Forestry, 
we want the concept close-to-nature forestry to be deleted. A possible solution to 
the issue of close-to-nature forestry, and other concepts related to the strategy on 
biodiversity, would be to remove them from this version of the delegated act and 
include them in a future revision of the DA when the current ongoing work on 
definitions and criteria related to the implementation of the strategy on biodiversity 
has been completed and agreed on. 
 
 
Bioenergy and hydropower 
 
-  On bioenergy, it is important to bring the criteria in line with RED II. 
 
-  Concerning hydropower the screening criteria should be designed in such a way 
that they do not go beyond the requirements for an individual hydropower plant set 
out in the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) and in the Habitats Directive 
(92/43/EEC). The proposed criteria still go beyond existing legislation in terms of 
the requirements on certain types of power plants. 
 
We trust that the Commission will give due consideration to these concerns when 
finalising the technical criteria. We look forward to continuing the dialogue with 
you on these matters.  
 
 
 
 
Sanna Marin   
 
 
 
 
Stefan Löfven 
Prime Minister of Finland 
 
 
 
Prime Minister of Sweden 
 
 
 
cc Executive Vice-President Mr Frans Timmermans 
     Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis 
     European Commissioner Ms Mairead McGuinness