EU censures eight members over carbon emissions

The European Commission launched proceedings against eight members on Thursday for failing to say how many gas emissions permits they would give polluters under the EU's emission trading scheme. The EC said it was sending warning letters to Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain for ignoring an end June deadline to reveal their plans. The plans are supposed to set the total number of emissions allowances governments will give to industrial plants during the 2008-2012 period under the EU's innovative emissions trading scheme. The quotas are the cornerstone of the landmark trading scheme which was launched at the beginning of 2005 to help member states meet their greenhouse gas emissions targets under the Kyoto Protocol.