Emissions trading in Liechtenstein

The Office of Environmental Protection (OEP) is the competent national authority for implementation of the market-based climate protection instruments of the Kyoto Protocol in Liechtenstein. First concern of the Kyoto Protocol is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by national measures.

The specialist department for Energy at the Office of Economic Affairs together with the OEP estimate the short-term reduction potential being around 22'000 tons of CO2 eq, which meets a third of the Kyoto requirements.

In addition the compliance of the reduction obligations can be reached also by the use of flexible mechanisms. These are on the one hand the emissions trading between two states or two enterprises (in case of the EU emission trading), in order to reduce CO2-emissions, where it is most economical, and on the other hand project-related mechanisms as Joint Implementation (JI) and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

Such projects must result in measurable benefits related to the mitigation of climate change, as well as contribute to the sustainable development of the host countries, e.g. through the transfer of environmentally-sound technologies. Liechtenstein has its own project in the Cambodia generating high quality certificates (Gold Standard) to be used for compliance.

The Office of Environmental Protection also provides and maintains the National Emissions Trading Registry. This is an Internet application similar to online banking for carrying out transactions, checking account balances, and submitting emissions rights to the national account for meeting an obligation to reduce emissions.

As a modern and success-oriented authority, we comprehensively and competently support project operators, traders, installation operators, and other participants in emissions trading with respect to:

• •implementation and application of the legal requirements
• •assertion of their rights
• •fulfilment of their obligations.

Contact addresses for these areas can be found on the following pages or in the organizational chart of the Office of Environmental Protection

Brief information about the history  of the Kyoto protocol and actual emissions of Liechtenstein can be found here.