Two more countries - Malta and Romania - have submitted National Implementation Measures (NIM) plans outlining their free allocation needs under the 2013-2020 EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), bringing the total number of submissions to seven.
All 27 EU member states were required to submit NIM plans to the European Commission by 30 September, but only four made the deadline.
Late submission is delaying the process of allocating free allowances to industry for the 2013-2020 EU ETS, the European Commission on Climate Action has said.
Final allocations of free allowances will not be made until all NIMs have been submitted and assessed, but a number of member states have indicated that they will be "significantly late".
As such, final allocation might not happen until after Phase III of the EU ETS begins in January 2013, "causing uncertainty for European industries and their investment decisions", the Commission has said.
Submission delays could have a knock-on effect on the carbon market by holding back potential industrial sellers, as they are unlikely to shed much length before they know how many emissions allowances they will receive after 2012 (see EDCM 11 November 2011).
The Commission may launch infringement proceedings against late submitters, a spokeswoman confirmed on Wednesday (7th December), but she declined to comment on what these infringement proceedings would entail.
Details of individual countries` free allocation wish lists will not be published until all NIMs have been received.
Poland, Cyprus, Latvia and Lithuania submitted their NIMs before the 30 September deadline (see EDCM 27 October 2011). They were followed by Estonia in November.
Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Hungary, Sweden and the UK had previously said they would submit their NIMs by the end of 2011, while Germany, Finland, France, the Netherlands and Spain have earlier said they would make their submissions in 2012.