OpenLobby.EU
Explore

Agrupación de fabricantes de cemento de España

OFICEMEN

Oficemen is the trade association representing the integral cement production industry in Spain.

Lobbying Activity

Spanish cement manufacturers urge recognition of carbon removals

15 Sept 2025
Topic — The consultation seeks views on amending European laws to include 2040 climate targets.
Message — The association requests that permanent carbon removals be recognized as EU ETS emission rights. They also advocate for administrative simplification to reduce bureaucratic burdens and processing times.12
Why — These measures would provide investment certainty and lower compliance costs for manufacturers.34
Read full response

Spanish cement industry urges EU-wide CO2 transport network

10 Sept 2025
Topic — The initiative aims to create competitive markets and infrastructure for CO2 transportation and storage.
Message — The group requests regulated third-party access to CO2 networks and streamlined permitting processes. They also advocate for EU-wide standards and financial tools like Carbon Contracts for Difference.123
Why — This would lower decarbonization costs and ensure the sector's long-term economic viability.45
Impact — Owners of private CO2 infrastructure might lose exclusive control due to mandatory access requirements.6
Read full response

Spanish Cement Association seeks ETS compensation for clinker production

5 Sept 2025
Topic — Updating EU rules for compensating companies for indirect carbon emission costs.
Message — OFICEMEN calls for clinker to be recognized as eligible for indirect cost compensation. They argue this standardized product is highly exposed to international competition.12
Why — Inclusion would lower production costs by millions, ensuring Spanish exports remain competitive globally.3
Impact — Non-EU clinker producers would lose their current price advantage over Spanish exporters.45
Read full response

Spanish cement industry urges EU to protect industrial competitiveness

8 Jul 2025
Topic — The European Commission is reviewing the EU emissions trading system and its reserves.
Message — OFICEMEN requests a 18-24 month lead time for regulatory changes and continued allowances after 2039. They also advocate for a global cap on carbon import certificates to maintain fairness.123
Why — This would provide the financial stability needed for long-term investments in green technology.45
Impact — Foreign producers would lose the ability to export unlimited quantities to Europe.678
Read full response

Meeting with Vicente Hurtado Roa (Head of Unit Taxation and Customs Union)

17 Mar 2025 · CBAM / short update on discussions on how to control cement importations in the context of CBAM

Meeting with Valvanera Ulargui Aparicio (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera Rodríguez)

4 Feb 2025 · Presentation Paper Position.

Spanish cement industry seeks flexible carbon accounting rules

29 Jul 2024
Topic — This consultation updates EU rules for monitoring and reporting industrial greenhouse gas emissions.
Message — The industry requests accounting rules that support carbon capture and alternative fuels. They seek flexibility to avoid creating barriers to mitigation technology deployment.123
Why — This would lower investment risks and help maintain competitiveness during industrial decarbonization.45
Read full response

Meeting with Francisco Barros Castro (Cabinet of Commissioner Elisa Ferreira) and Associação Técnica da Indústria de Cimento

8 Apr 2024 · A just transition for the future of the cement industry in PT and ES

Response to Amendment of the free allocation rules in response to the ETS revision/Fit For 55

29 Dec 2023

OFICEMEN, the Spanish Cement Association, appreciates the possibility of participating in the public consultation on the European Commissions Draft Delegated Regulation amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/331 as regards transitional Union-wide rules for harmonised free allocation of emission allowances. Please find attached the contribution of OFICEMEN that includes comments, on the Regulation, of crucial importance to the cement industry
Read full response

Spanish cement makers urge flexible benchmarks for climate neutrality plans

31 Aug 2023
Topic — This consultation develops rules for the content and format of mandatory climate-neutrality plans.
Message — Oficemen suggests exempting high-performing installations from the requirement to submit climate plans. They also request that explaining the choice of decarbonization measures remains optional. Furthermore, the association demands that plans remain confidential to protect competitive market positions.123
Why — This would allow installations to avoid financial penalties and protect sensitive commercial information.4
Impact — Public transparency is reduced if companies do not have to justify their decarbonization strategies.5
Read full response

Spanish Cement Association urges acceleration of carbon capture investments

31 Aug 2023
Topic — Consultation on the deployment of EU industrial carbon management and storage infrastructure.
Message — The association supports an EU strategy to accelerate carbon capture investments. They demand priority storage access for sectors with unavoidable emissions. They also request public funding for infrastructure development.123
Why — This would help the industry overcome high capital costs while meeting climate targets.45
Impact — Other industries could face limited storage access if heavy emitters are prioritized.6
Read full response

Spanish cement association urges flexible biomass monitoring rules

22 Aug 2023
Topic — The European Commission is updating rules for monitoring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions.
Message — OFICEMEN requests that operators be allowed to use alternative estimation methods to determine biomass fractions. They argue this is necessary when technical analysis is not feasible or would incur unreasonable costs. They propose using a mass balance approach for fuels or materials with traceable input streams.12
Why — This would allow companies to avoid high costs associated with complex chemical analysis.3
Read full response

Spanish cement industry urges strict reporting to prevent fraud

10 Jul 2023
Topic — Reporting rules for companies during the carbon border adjustment mechanism transitional phase.
Message — OFICEMEN recommends aligning CBAM reporting with EU ETS standards for fairness. They propose mandatory sampling to stop fraud involving mislabeled low-carbon cement. The association advocates for a robust penalty system to ensure compliance.123
Why — This would safeguard Spanish market share against cheaper, high-carbon foreign products.45
Impact — Non-EU suppliers would lose their competitive edge from lower environmental standards.6
Read full response

Spanish Cement Industry Urges Faster Carbon Capture Permitting

23 Jun 2023
Topic — This initiative creates a framework to strengthen the European net-zero technology manufacturing ecosystem.
Message — The sector wants the entire carbon capture and utilization value chain deemed strategic. They demand permitting deadlines begin once the initial project application is first submitted.123
Why — This would ensure cement plants have affordable and non-discriminatory access to carbon storage sites.45
Impact — Fossil fuel companies would lose control over proprietary geological data from decommissioned production sites.67
Read full response

Response to European Critical Raw Materials Act

24 May 2023

The Spanish Cement Association (Oficemen) welcomes the European Commission's initiative to address the overriding issue of securing the supply of Raw Materials necessary for a green and digital transition. We welcome the proposed Critical Raw Materials Regulation as excellent news, as it is a breakthrough, breaking an insurmountable legislative barrier for MPs and is in line with the fundamental principles of access to resources. Furthermore, we support the European Commission's intention to focus on critical and strategic raw materials. Europe's dependence on an increasingly entrenched and disruptive international supply chain of imports for most critical raw materials, combined with the exponential increase in demand for these raw materials for the double transition, are threatening the performance and integrity of industry in the European Union. Europe needs to do more at home, while diversifying its import flows. However, the European Commission's decision to devote the proposed Regulation only to critical and strategic raw materials ignores the essential role and need for all other MPs, which represent 99% of those needed for the above-mentioned objectives. The precarious position in which Europe currently finds itself is the result of an incomplete and not very holistic design of its industrial policy and a lack of attention to the need for PM. Filling the gaps in Europe's strategic supply chains requires a comprehensive PM policy. Therefore, Oficemen strongly recommends adding "essential raw materials", as a complementary set of remaining Raw Materials, to the proposed existing categories (i.e. "strategic and critical raw materials"), without competing with these in the framework of benefits. Furthermore, additional measures should be included to help the supply of essential raw materials to be planned and rationalised in a similar way as for critical and strategic raw materials, through a framework including administrative streamlining measures, such as a one-stop shop or limiting the length of processing procedures to a maximum of 18 or 36 months, and other benefits adapted to their specific circumstances. The Oficemen wishes to show its unconditional support for the document "PRIMIGEA COMMENTS ON PROPOSAL FOR A REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL ESTABLISHING A FRAMEWORK FOR ENSURING A SECURE AND SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY OF CRITICAL RAW MATERIALS AND AMENDING REGULATIONS", the content of which is attached hereto and which it subscribes to in its entirety.
Read full response

Spanish cement manufacturers demand competitive electricity prices for industry

21 Apr 2023
Topic — The consultation seeks to reform the EU's electricity market for better resilience.
Message — The association urges the EU to include large industrial companies in energy protection tools. They want to separate prices for renewables and nuclear from expensive gas-fired electricity.12
Why — This would lower production costs and protect the industry from extreme market volatility.34
Impact — Electricity companies would face reduced earnings through proposed limits on windfall profits.5
Read full response

Spanish cement industry seeks recognition for concrete carbonation

23 Mar 2023
Topic — Proposed EU regulation for the certification of sustainable industrial and ecosystem carbon removals.
Message — OFICEMEN requests that the EU recognize biogenic capture and concrete carbonation as removals. They also advocate for these certificates to be tradeable within the carbon market.123
Why — This would enable cement manufacturers to generate revenue by trading carbon removal certificates.4
Impact — Timber and wood product sectors would be excluded from claiming valuable removal credits.56
Read full response

Response to EU rules on industrial emissions - revision

23 Jun 2022

The Spanish Cement Association, OFICEMEN, firmly supports the EU Green Deal’s objectives and stand ready to support its implementation. The high energy prices, the disrupted supply chains and high inflation pose existential difficulties to companies who have already been under pressure in the last years due to the COVID crisis. This dramatic situation calls for an EU policy framework which mitigates these short-term challenges while supporting the necessary industrial transformation required for the long-term the Green Deal’s objectives. The proposed revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive departs from these imperatives. The new proposed requirements raise a number of implementation concerns which ultimately lead to legal uncertainties, prolong and complicate the permit procedures, and ultimately undermine the ongoing industrial transformation. OFICEMEN believes that the IED and the BREFs are delivering environmental performance across Europe because their approach is flexible, focuses on continuous improvements and addresses local environmental issues holistically. This falls perfectly in line with the outcome of the IED evaluation where it was recognized that the overall structure of the IED appears to function well and there was significant EU added value from the Directive. As OFICEMEN we are proposing some amendments focus on three fundamental aspects for the sector: (for more details please see the attached file): - Scope: A number of non-energy mineral extraction and treatment activities are included. However, the new definition of "industrial ore" (Article 3.48) and the wording of the new point 3.6 of Annex I, which specifies which non-energy mineral extraction and treatment activities are included, may give rise to confusion. We are therefore proposing two amendments to correct the wording of both points. - Emission limit values: We are opposed to emission limit values being set in accordance with the lower limit of the BAT-AEL range (Article 15.3). The levels of environmental performance associated with BAT are expressed in ranges of values, rather than exact values, to reflect differences within a given type of installation (e.g. differences in the grade/purity and quality of the finished product, differences in the design, construction, size and capacity of the installation, etc.) which result in differences in the environmental performance recorded when BAT is applied. The establishment of an emission limit should ensure that emission levels do not exceed that range. Setting the lower value of the range as a limit would oblige the installation to maintain emissions well below that value and therefore lower than the levels established as technically and economically available for the sector as a whole. We believe it is necessary to add a new paragraph to Article 15 so that similar safeguards, such as those established for the energy sector, can be properly applied to other sectors, in exceptional circumstances that seriously affect supply chains and that may make it impossible to comply with emission limit values for limited periods of time. - Compensation measures: the amendment of Article 79. Bis proposes to introduce compensation measures where damage to health has occurred, in whole or in part, as a result of an infringement of national measures adopted under the DEI. If adopted, this would mean that the burden of proof lies with the operator. This would cause legal uncertainty, since an infraction could coincide with a damage to health for other reasons and, in addition, could have duplications with other laws.
Read full response

Response to Revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001

27 Sept 2021

La Agrupación de Fabricantes de Cemento de España, OFICEMEN, agradece la oportunidad de proporcionar sus consideraciones a la consulta pública de la Comisión sobre la revisión de la Directiva (UE) 2018/2001 relativa al fomento del uso de energía procedente de fuentes renovables (DER II) y el Reglamento (UE) 2018/1999 sobre la gobernanza de la Unión de la Energía y de la Acción por el Clima. El cemento, a través de su principal derivado el hormigón, juega un papel protagonista al ser elegido el material para la construcción de los edificios e infraestructuras del futuro, como los activos de energía renovable (aerogeneradores, presas hidroeléctricas…). Además, el hormigón también es un material clave para la construcción de edificios y puede, gracias a su inercia térmica, contribuir de manera significativa al ahorro de energía y la integración de energías renovables en los edificios. Por otro lado, la industria del cemento es un importante consumidor de residuos de biomasa y electricidad, que serán claves para reducir las emisiones del sector. A continuación presentamos algunas consideraciones sobre diferentes aspectos de las modificaciones propuestas:  Es fundamental que la Directiva ofrezca certeza a los usuarios de residuos compuestos total o parcialmente por biomasa. La industria europea del cemento es una gran consumidora de residuos y subproductos, utiliza aproximadamente 36 millones de toneladas al año. En el caso de España la cifra se aproxima al millón de toneladas. En el año 2019 el porcentaje de sustitución de combustibles fósiles por combustibles derivados de residuos no reciclables en la UE fue del 48%, el 17% de los cuales fueron combustibles derivados de residuos de biomasa. En España la tasa de sustitución ascendió al 30,7% , de los que el 8% fueron biomasa. Los tipos de combustibles derivados de residuos con biomasa utilizados en nuestra industria incluyen, por ejemplo, harinas animales, lodos de depuradora, serrines, aceite, productos agrícolas contaminados o madera de residuos de construcción. Dentro del horno de cemento los combustibles derivados de residuos se coprocesan, aprovechando su valor energético para reemplazar los combustibles fósiles (valorización energética) e incorporando las cenizas como sustituto de los recursos minerales naturales (reciclado material), sin generar residuos. Además de ofrecer una solución sostenible para algunos flujos de residuos, de otro modo, requerirían su eliminación en vertedero, y contribuir a la economía circular. El uso de combustibles derivados de residuos, tengan o no biomasa, es clave para que la industria del cemento reduzca sus emisiones de CO2 y conseguir alcanzar el objetivo de un Europa climáticamente neutra en 2050.  Dado que no es posible determinar el origen inicial de la biomasa para gran parte de combustibles derivados de residuos utilizados por la industria cementera, no es posible cumplir con los criterios de sostenibilidad y de reducción de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero de la actual Directiva. El apartado 1 del artículo 29 reconoce estas dificultades y aclara que “los biocarburantes, biolíquidos y combustibles de biomasa producidos a partir de residuos y desechos, con excepción de los desechos agrícolas, de la acuicultura, pesqueros y forestales, han de cumplir únicamente los criterios de reducción de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero”. Sin embargo, el cálculo de los ahorros de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero para combustibles derivados de residuos con biomasa, también requieren información que no es accesible en el caso de residuos (Anexo VI, Parte B RED II). En particular, la Directiva debe eximir a los biocarburantes, biolíquidos y combustibles de biomasa producidos a partir de residuos y desechos, con excepción de los desechos agrícolas, de la acuicultura, pesqueros y forestales, de cumplir únicamente los criterios de reducción de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero del apartado 10 del artículo 29.
Read full response

Response to Revision of the Energy Tax Directive

27 Sept 2021

La industria europea del cemento apoya plenamente los objetivos del Pacto Verde Europeo. Así como el paquete de medidas «Objetivo 55» orientadas a reducir las emisiones netas de gases de efecto invernadero en al menos un 55 % de aquí a 2030, tal y como se establece en la Ley Europea del Clima. El sector del cemento se ha comprometido con el ambicioso objetivo de reducción de emisiones a 2030 (“Hoja de ruta de la industria cementera española para alcanzar la neutralidad climática en 2050”) y con que toda la cadena de valor del cemento alcance la neutralidad climática en 2050. Lograr este objetivo supone un enorme desafío que requerirá de la adopción de tecnologías bajas en carbono, la puesta en marcha de nuevas medidas contra el riesgo de fuga de carbono y, al mismo tiempo, establecer modelos de negocio viables que aseguren el crecimiento continuo y el empleo en Europa. La Agrupación de Fabricantes de Cemento de España, OFICEMEN, agradece la oportunidad de proporcionar sus consideraciones a la revisión de la Directiva sobre fiscalidad de la energía. Apoyamos la intención de la Comisión de reestructurar y actualizar la fiscalidad de la energía en Europa. Este proceso debe tener en cuenta todos los costes energéticos a los que ya se enfrentan las empresas, así como la competitividad global de la UE, pero estamos profundamente decepcionados por la eliminación de algunas exenciones que son cruciales para la industria, como el uso de energía para procesos mineralógicos. Conseguir la descarbonización de una industria tan intensiva en el uso de energía, como la del cemento, supone un enorme desafío que requerirá la adopción de importantes avances tecnológicos, como la captura almacenamiento y uso de carbono o la electrificación total o parcial de su proceso productivo, que actualmente no están preparados para su aplicación a escala industrial. Por ello, pensamos que mantener la exención del ETD a productos energéticos de doble uso en el caso de procesos mineralógicos, tal y como se ha mantenido para la electricidad utilizada principalmente a efectos de reducción química y procesos electrolíticos y metalúrgicos, sería esencial para que el sector pudiera afrontar con garantías el salto tecnológico necesario al que se enfrenta. Las industrias de gran consumo energético, como el cemento, ya se enfrentan a una reducción gradual de derechos de emisión en virtud de la actualización del régimen de comercio de derechos de emisión de la UE (RCDE UE), lo que aumenta el coste de producción y el riesgo de fuga de carbono, agravado por la aplicación de un mecanismo de ajuste en frontera de las emisiones de carbono (CBAM),que no tiene en cuenta los costes indirectos, aspecto capital que puede tener un impacto diferencial sobre la competitividad de la industria europea frente a los importadores de fuera de la UE. En este contexto, la pérdida de la exención a productos energéticos de doble uso en el caso de procesos mineralógicos, combinado con la reducción gradual de derechos de emisión gratuitos aumentará, aún más, la pérdida competitividad del sector y la incertidumbre que paralizará las inversiones ya iniciadas por la industria de la UE para impulsar la mitigación de las emisiones de CO2 del sector. Si se aplica el tipo impositivo del descriptor ‘Coal and coke’ (0,9 €/GJ que equivaldría a 29,25€/t coke) que aparece en el Anexo I – Tabla C Niveles mínimos de imposición aplicables a los combustibles para calefacción, significaría un incremento en los costes de producción del Clinker superior al 15% que no tendría ninguna medida compensatoria a través del CBAM, lo que generaría una pérdida de competitividad que fomentaría la fuga de carbono. Por ello, solicitamos que se clarifique si el uso de energía en la fabricación de cemento podría acogerse a la misma exención que los procesos metalúrgicos o si se debe recuperar explícitamente una exención específica para los combustibles usados en los procesos mineralógicos.
Read full response

Spanish cement industry urges carbon border tax plus free allowances

27 Sept 2021
Topic — The EU is consulting on a mechanism to price carbon on imported products.
Message — The association demands that the new border tax coexist with free carbon permits until 2030. They also want the system to cover indirect costs and compensate for exports.123
Why — This policy would maintain their competitiveness by preventing sudden hikes in production expenses.4
Impact — Foreign exporters face higher costs and penalties when they cannot provide verified emission data.5
Read full response

Spanish cement industry urges gradual carbon border tax phase-in

27 Sept 2021
Topic — The European Commission is updating its emissions trading rules to reach 2030 climate goals.
Message — The industry requests that the new carbon border tax coexist with existing free emission permits until 2030. They also want to remove a proposed twenty-five percent penalty for not implementing costly energy audit recommendations. Additionally, they argue that waste incineration should be included in the trading system to ensure fair competition.123
Why — Maintaining free permits alongside the new border tax would protect their international market competitiveness.4
Impact — Waste incineration companies would face new costs and monitoring requirements under the trading system.5
Read full response

Spanish cement industry seeks revision of grey clinker benchmarks

30 Dec 2020
Topic — This consultation revises benchmark values for the free allocation of emission allowances.
Message — OFICEMEN recommends that the Commission excludes by-pass dust from the activity level for the grey clinker benchmark. They argue its inclusion contradicts existing emission rules and fails to recognize chemical differences.12
Why — The industry would avoid market distortions and ensure a more accurate distribution of allowances.3
Impact — Manufacturers in Member States using inconsistent reporting would lose their unfair competitive advantage.4
Read full response

Spanish cement industry urges carbon reuse and reporting delay

17 Dec 2020
Topic — New EU classification system for environmentally sustainable economic activities and investments.
Message — The association requests that the regulation recognizes the utilisation of CO2 and benchmarks for white cement. They also recommend implementing non-financial disclosure requirements for mitigation and adaptation starting January 2023.123
Why — These changes would ensure white cement producers access green funding while reducing immediate administrative costs.45
Read full response

Spanish cement industry demands free permits and border carbon tax

26 Nov 2020
Topic — The Commission is reviewing emissions trading rules to achieve higher greenhouse gas reductions.
Message — Oficemen requests that free carbon allocations continue even if a border adjustment mechanism is introduced. They propose a separate emissions trading system for transport and buildings to avoid distorting industrial carbon prices.12
Why — Maintaining free permits while taxing imports would shield Spanish plants from cheaper foreign competition.3
Impact — Non-EU exporters would face higher financial barriers when selling carbon-intensive products to Europe.4
Read full response

Response to Industrial pollution - revision of the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register

26 Oct 2020

Spanish Cement Association (OFICEMEN), welcomes the opportunity to comment on Inception Impact Assessments about the Revision of the Regulation on the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR). OFICEMEN is determined to contribute strongly to the EU’s vision for a carbon neutral society by 2050 and support the objectives of the European Green Deal. With that in mind, OFICEMEN has recently updated its Carbon Neutrality Roadmap, with the objective of reaching carbon neutrality down the cement and concrete value chain by 2050. OFICEMEN acknowledges the importance of European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) but highlights how crucial it is to have a reliable dataset which is publicly available. We are aware that Governments provide input to E-PRTR with data they received from industry. However, serious inconsistencies are found in the dataset and in many cases the reported figures do not match industry’s own figures, which should in principle be the source for E-PRTR. Several issues have been appointed with the E-PRTR reporting, e.g. on small emitters and thresholds setting; on how to report emissions below detection limits; on emissions from regulatory tests being reported as actual data, on not all Member States reporting all pollutants. With regards to the possibility of including additional pollutants, the Spanish cement sector considers that the environmental benefits of such decision shall be carefully assessed in order to avoid the reporting of pollutants which may not be relevant for the process of a specific sector and it would have to consider a revision of the “sector specific sub-lists of pollutants”. These “indicative sector specific sub-lists of pollutants” in the case of cement sector, contain certain substances (anthracene, HCN, DEHP and Naphthalene) that are not associated with the manufacturing process and are not introduced during the same, as the Spanish cement sector has been able to analyze. With regards to the access to information, we would like to express our strong concerns for the possibility of collecting and providing publicly available contextual fields such as the production volumes of individual operators, having in mind that the disclosure of such information would create market distortions.   Today, operators of industrial facilities and facilities are called to respond to increasing information requirements, beyond those necessary for the simple fulfillment of the conditions of the environmental permits / authorizations issued. They must periodically report on the emissions of any pollutant emitted by the facilities, at any stage of the processing, and present other relevant environmental data (consumption, annual production, etc.). The public´s right to transparency and access to information is another important aspect of this legal evolution While more information is now available, it is not always accompanied by clear information on the criteria used to compile it, that would facilitate and guarantee the quality, consistency and particularly the comparability of data with other similar processes. In view of the E-PRTR relevance, data quality assurance is thus adamant. OFICEMEN would therefore welcome an improvement in the E-PRTR reporting system which would help to make the E-PRTR data more accurate and reliable. Finally, this might be a good opportunity to include important sources of certain atmospherics pollutant emissions such as: agriculture, domestic heating, road transport, maritime activities, air traffic...This would enhance substantially the representativeness and the quality of the Register. OFICEMEN looks forward to being part of the discussions on the E-PRTR rules update.
Read full response

Response to EU rules on industrial emissions - revision

20 Apr 2020

The Industrial Emissions Directive represents one of the most relevant pieces of legislation for the industrial sector, regulating the core of its activity, the permit setting process, best available techniques and binding associated emission levels. The BREF and BAT exercise, derived from the IED has proven to be a global trend-setter, creating a system that is being replicated in different forms outside the European Union. This success is further sustained by European Environmental Agency data which shows relevant reduction of emissions since the directive has been in place. Oficemen has identified several aspects to be considered in the IED revision process and some of them are as follows :  The Seville process must be limited to the control of the relevant industrial emissions. Environmental authorizations cannot become the tool for controlling all types of legal requirements in the industry, nor should it become the appropriate tool for every upcoming environmental challenge by default.  IED objective and purpose is to address primarily environmental impacts (and preventing so overlap with other regulations), nonetheless it contributes to resource efficiency and as such indirectly to the climate change mitigation. The IED is not the main tool for Greenhouse Gas (GHG) control, as stated in Art 9.1 of the IED: “the permit shall not include an emission limit value for direct emissions of that gas, unless necessary to ensure that no significant local pollution is caused”. The Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), a market-based instrument, is the appropriate tool for the mitigation of CO2 emissions. It is essential to keep the status as it is, to avoid double regulation.  IED functions well because it follows a thorough review of best practices of technologies which can be used to reduce emissions. This process ensures that the correct technologies are selected and included in the BAT conclusions. The long-term stability and certainty in the legislation is a necessary factor for the industry to stay competitive and plan ahead. Given the required time period for a complete IED revision, it will be important that the next BREF revision cycle is not initiated until the IED revision has been finalized. In this way, the confusion of which rules to follow for both operators and authorities will be avoided.  An integrated approach (protection of the environment as a whole) that considers cross effects and other legislation. There should be an avoidance on any double legislation.  The process of reviewing the BREFs is becoming increasingly costly economically and in terms of human resources, given that their complexity is increasing greatly. The DEI must evaluate the efficiency of the process to simplify it, focusing only on the most relevant environmental aspects (KEI) and making the process more efficient and participatory.  In order to simplify and reduce unnecessary administrative burden, it should be unified in a single administrative procedure the period for public information that guarantees access to information and public participation in the permit procedure pursuant to this Directive with other public access to environmental information requirements of Union law, and in particular Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment.  One of the pathways for the cement industry towards the carbon neutrality of 2050 is the substitution of fossil fuels with pre-treated wastes including biomass. In this respect, it was of high importance the recently published Waste Treatment BREF related to the waste management facilities which pre-treat the waste to be used in the cement industry. Furthermore, the use of wastes as fuels and/or raw materials in a cement kiln is consider as BAT in the Production of Cement, Lime and Magnesium Oxide BREF.
Read full response

Response to Revision of the Energy Tax Directive

31 Mar 2020

OFICEMEN supports an update of the legal framework for energy taxation in light of the recently published European Green Deal and of EU to meet its 2050 objective. OFICEMEN and CEMBUREAU, the European cement association, are currently in the process of re-assessing these targets with a view to setting out the cement and concrete’s industry’s pathway to achieve carbon neutrality along the value chain in Europe by 2050. It is already clear from our preliminary analysis that energy-intensive industries like cement will need to dramatically change their energy use to reach carbon neutrality. In our sector this includes: • The replacement of fossil fuels by non-recyclable waste and biomass waste, which is already happening at a fast pace (the European cement industry currently uses 46% of alternative fuels in heating processes, 26.5% in the case of Spain); • The electrification in part of our industrial processes – both to use renewable, carbon-free electricity and because some key decarbonisation technologies such as Carbon Capture will involve a greater need for electricity use; • The support for investment and use of Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) systems, to reduce our dependency on external power. OFICEMEN strongly believes that energy taxation across the EU should facilitate this change, by offering the right tax reductions and 0% rates for the use of alternative and cleaner energy sources in industrial processes. This would play a pivotal role in supporting carbon neutrality in the industry, whilst protecting the competitiveness of the sector. We would therefore urge the European Commission to look thoroughly at these issues as part of its upcoming impact assessment. It is essential that some of the exemptions which are crucial for the industry – such as the use of energy for mineralogical processes classified in the NACE nomenclature under code DI 23, as identified in Article 2, are maintained to protect the sector’s competitiveness. Energy-intensive industries such as cement already face a shortfall of allowances under the ETS rules, increasing the production cost and the risk of production being offshored. In this context, an energy tax increase combined with an immediate loss of free allowances would create considerable uncertainty and risks. Any revision of the Directive should respect general principles of the Union law, in particular the principles of proportionality and subsidiarity
Read full response

Spanish Cement Association Urges Protection Against Unfair Foreign Competition

31 Mar 2020
Topic — The consultation concerns a tax on carbon-intensive imports to prevent environmental damage.
Message — OFICEMEN calls for a carbon border mechanism that works alongside existing free emissions allowances. They argue the system must target actual verified emissions from importers rather than averages. The association also seeks tax exemptions for European producers when they export products abroad.123
Why — This would protect domestic production from cheaper, high-emission imports from non-EU countries.4
Impact — Non-EU manufacturers face higher costs and reduced access to the European market.5
Read full response

Response to A new Circular Economy Action Plan

20 Jan 2020

OFICEMEN apoya la iniciativa de la Comisión para un Nuevo Plan de Acción sobre Economía Circular como herramienta para favorecer el crecimiento, la innovación, la competitividad y el empleo, y para alejarse de una economía lineal y mitigar sus impactos asociados sobre el medio ambiente, por ejemplo, en términos de pérdida de biodiversidad y cambio climático. Como sector intensivo en el consumo de materias primas, la dependencia de recursos naturales no renovables para el desarrollo de su actividad supone un reto en un mundo de recursos limitados y en decrecimiento continuo. El modelo de economía circular, basado en la filosofía de residuo cero y opuesto al modelo lineal predominante hasta el momento — usar y tirar—, se presenta como una solución idónea para la industria cementera. Este nuevo modelo puede resolver los grandes retos medioambientales a través del empleo de nuevas tecnologías, que abran nuevas oportunidades de negocio, y por tanto la creación de nuevos puestos de trabajo, fomentando un crecimiento económico sostenible y duradero. Por ello, deseamos hacer entre otras, las siguientes consideraciones: • Las estrategias de economía circular tienen que tener en cuenta a todos los agentes de la cadena de valor. • En los productos de construcción en general y en los base cemento en particular, la durabilidad que proporcionan a los edificios o infraestructuras suponen una contribución fundamental a la economía circular al posibilitar la extensión de su vida en servicio hasta el límite de fin de vida del propio edificio o infraestructura. • La transformación de residuos en recursos debe verse facilitada por la plena aplicación de la legislación de la UE sobre residuos, que incluye la jerarquía de residuos, la necesidad de garantizar la recogida selectiva de residuos, la limitación del depósito de residuos en vertederos, etc. Desarrollar un modelo para la recogida selectiva de residuos podría simplificar la gestión de residuos y garantizar un mejor acceso a los materiales secundarios. • OFICEMEN ve necesario el desarrollo urgente de políticas europeas que prohíban claramente el vertido de residuos reciclables o valorizables y la implantación de mecanismos fiscales disuasorios que graven el vertido de esos residuos hasta la consecución del objetivo del vertido cero, puesto que se observa en muchos países de la UE que el principio de jerarquía no se pone en práctica en todos los residuos en los que teóricamente sería posible y la mayor parte de los residuos que se generan van aún a vertedero. • Además, y como complemento a lo anterior, consideramos que la estrategia debe fomentar el uso de residuos como combustible alternativo en cementeras (coprocesado) para alcanzar los objetivos de la UE fijados para el reciclaje y la eficiencia de los recursos que según lo establecido en la legislación relativa a la gestión de los residuos ha de anteponerse al vertido y a la incineración. Somos conscientes de la importancia que tiene para el crecimiento, la competitividad y el empleo el desarrollo de una economía circular, que responda a los retos de la utilización sostenible de las energías y recursos naturales y permita avanzar en eficiencia energética. Pero para ello es necesario, la creación de fuentes de financiación públicas que fomenten la innovación en los procesos industriales, la mejora en las tecnologías y los procesos, el desarrollo de la infraestructura necesaria y aumenten la cooperación entre los actores de la cadena de valor.
Read full response

Meeting with Daniel Calleja Crespo (Director-General Environment)

6 Nov 2019 · Soil sealing

Oficemen demands fair allocation for cement industry technological upgrades

4 Jul 2019
Topic — This consultation updates rules for adjusting free emission allowances for industrial installations.
Message — The group wants reporting to be less burdensome by combining activity and emission verification. They also demand that technological upgrades in existing facilities receive equal treatment to new entrants.12
Why — These changes would reduce compliance costs and prevent financial penalties for improving plant efficiency.34
Read full response

Meeting with Maria Cristina Lobillo Borrero (Cabinet of Vice-President Miguel Arias Cañete)

22 Mar 2019 · Coal Regions in transition

Spanish cement industry urges inclusion in state aid compensation

17 Jan 2019
Topic — The consultation reviews rules for compensating industries for indirect carbon costs.
Message — Align state aid eligibility with carbon leakage lists to include cement. Current rules cause unfair competition with materials like steel and wood.12
Why — Subsidies would reduce high electricity costs that burden the cement sector.3
Impact — Steel and wood producers would lose their current relative market advantage.4
Read full response

Spanish cement industry seeks total cost coverage for innovation

11 Jan 2019
Topic — The European Commission is defining the implementation and funding rules for its new Innovation Fund.
Message — OFICEMEN requests that the fund covers total project costs instead of only incremental expenses. They also call for flexible rules regarding carbon capture chains and clearer definitions.12
Why — This would lower the financial risk of production disruptions when testing non-proven breakthrough technologies.3
Read full response

Spanish cement industry seeks updated emission reporting definitions

26 Nov 2018
Topic — The European Commission is revising rules for monitoring industrial greenhouse gas emissions.
Message — They want to include gas cleaning emissions in the official process emissions definition. They also request using clinker output to verify input-based emission calculations.12
Why — This ensures manufacturers receive the correct volume of free carbon allowances.3
Read full response

Spanish cement association urges 100% free carbon process allowances

17 Apr 2018
Topic — The EU is revising rules for free carbon permit allocations for industry.
Message — OFICEMEN requests "special treatment" for process emissions, which they argue are "irreducible" and technically unavoidable. They advocate for 100% compensation and benchmarks that respect physical technological limits. The group also suggests aligning allocations with recent production to maintain competitiveness.12
Why — Free permits would shield cement producers from high carbon regulatory costs.3
Impact — Environmental goals suffer if heavy industry is exempt from emission reduction pressures.4
Read full response