This section supports the Director-General by working in close cooperation with the Assistant of the Director-General to ensure a smooth functioning of DG Climate Action and a seamless interface with the Cabinet of Commissioner Hedegaard.

002 - Communication

This section provides communication services, disseminating information about EU climate policies and raising public awareness of climate change and its impacts. It is also in charge of the management of the external websites of DG CLIMA and Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard.

003 - Administrative & legal support, liaison with SRD

This section provides legal support to the DG in ensuring coordination of infringements handling and management of access to documents' requests. It equally provides administrative support in terms of recruitment of staff and trainees, logistics and management of the administrative budget, owns the deliverables under the strategic planning and programming (SPP) cycle and assists in audit and internal control matters. It liaises closely with the human, financial and IT resources units in the Shared Resources Directorate (SRD).

Directorate A "Internal & Climate Strategy"

Directorate A coordinates international climate negotiations and inter-institutional relations of DG CLIMA, develops cost efficient international and domestic policies and strategies to tackle climate change, promotes multi-lateral and bilateral partnerships with key partners, develops innovative approaches to climate finance and coordinates financial support from the EU budget, develops policies and measures in the areas of land use, land use change and forestry as well as reducing deforestation and forest degradation. It also monitors, reports and verifies emissions and evaluates the effectiveness of EU and international climate policies and measures, and coordinates internal and external communications and public relations.

Unit A1 "International and Inter-Institutional Relations"

Unit A.1 has lead responsibility for developing the Commission's strategic vision of the international action needed to combat climate change and of the EU's contribution to it. It oversees and is responsible for relations with other European institutions and consultative bodies in the field of climate change.

Unit A2 "Climate Finance and Deforestation"

Unit A.2 provides guidance on climate finance, both in the EU by facilitating the integration of climate action into the EU budget and instruments, and externally within the UNFCCC negotiations. It also assesses agriculture and forestry issues and instruments as regards their climate mitigation potential, and fosters strategic climate partnerships with developing countries.

Unit A3 "Monitoring, Reporting, Verification"

Unit A.3 leads the Commission's development and implementation of Monitoring, Reporting and Verification Systems of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU and globally, in order to track progress towards the achievement of climate objectives in the most transparent and coherent way.

Unit A4 "Strategy and Economic Assessment"

Unit A.4 leads the Commission's development of strategic options for the EU's international and domestic climate action, underpinned by in-depth economic and technical analysis, in cooperation with other units in DG CLIMA.

Directorate B "European & International Carbon Markets"

Directorate B is responsible for the proper functioning and integrity of the EU Emissin Trading System (EU ETS) including aviation, for the development of the international carbon market and for action on greenhouse gas emissions from shipping.

Unit B1 "Implementation of ETS"

Unit B.1 is responsible for the proper functioning and integrity of the EU ETS and for certain aspects of the revised system that will enter into force as from 2013. For example, it determines the total number of allowances to be allocated, the rules for the auctioning of allowances and for the electronic registries which hold the allowances.

Unit B2 "Benchmarking"

Unit B.2 is responsible for the rules on free allocation of allowances for the third phase of the ETS (2013-2020), and for related issues linked to carbon leakage and competitiveness for EU industry. It contributes to the development of sectoral approaches in the international context.

Unit B3 "International Carbon Market, Aviation and Maritime"

Unit B.3 is responsible for the development of the international carbon market by encouraging emissions trading systems (ETS) that are compatible for linking and by improving and extending international credits for greenhouse gas emissions reductions. It also addresses the climate impacts of aviation through ETS, and develops measures to significantly reduce maritime transport's climate change impacts.

Directorate C "Mainstreaming Adaptation & Low Carbon Technology"

Directorate C contributes to the mission of DG CLIMA by promoting the development of a low carbon and climate resilient European society, with a focus on technologies, knowledge and applications which may have a direct impact on the lives of European citizens and may foster green growth.

Directorate C stimulates innovation through establishing regulatory frameworks and supporting programmes that incentivise the demonstration and deployment of low carbon technologies, especially in the energy, industrial and transport sectors. This includes the promotion of carbon capture and storage and innovative renewable energy technologies, the reduction of green-house gas emissions in the sectors outside the ETS and of ozone depleting substances, as well as setting standards for road vehicles efficiency and fuel quality.

Directorate C promotes climate resilience and adaptation to climate change, in particular through the development of a cost effective EU-wide adaptation strategy and the integration of adaptation criteria into all relevant EU policy areas.

Directorate C leads the international negotiations on the Montreal Protocol, assists on adaptation and on technology transfer in international climate change policy, and contributes to the mainstreaming of climate policy into the EU funds.

Unit C1 "Low Carbon Technologies"

Unit C.1 aims at contributing to the implementation of the EU climate policies by accelerated deployment of low carbon technologies. Within this context, it implements the Effort Sharing Decision and the Directive for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), implements co-financing for demonstration projects on CCS and innovative renewables and integrates climate-related concerns in the EU policies.

Unit C2 "Transport and Ozone"

Unit C.2 is striving for a sustainable and de-carbonised transport system which addresses the climate impacts from road vehicles and fuels. It also focuses on protecting the ozone layer and the climate system against the adverse effects of ozone depleting substances and fluorinated greenhouse gases, and negotiates on the Montreal Protocol governing ozone depleting substances worldwide.

Unit C3 "Adaptation"

Unit C.3 enhances the resilience to the adverse effects of climate change by developing an EU integrated adaptation strategy by 2013, integrating adaptation to climate change into different EU policy areas and participating in the UNFCCC negotiations. It also encourages information sharing on the adverse effects of climate change and supports the most vulnerable countries in their adaptation strategies.