Just unveiled (Wednesday 14 July), the European Commission’s proposal to create a new EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), separate from the current ETS, to cover emissions from building heating and road transport is already facing opposition from some Member States.
“We have very serious doubts about the legitimacy and effectiveness of introducing a trading system for transport and buildings”, said the Polish government in a statement issued on the same day as the presentation of the ‘Fit for 55’ legislative package in which the proposal is included (see EUROPE 12762/1).
It added: “Such a solution, without the introduction of appropriate safety mechanisms, could hit the poorest social groups affected by energy poverty. Poland will not accept any solution that is detrimental to the weakest social groups”. It should be noted that the Commission is planning to set up a new social fund to mitigate possible negative social effects (see EUROPE 12762/6).
The day after the package was presented, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff called the package “unacceptable in its current form”, as it would put the cost of the ecological transition onto “households”.
Calling the proposal for a new ETS “counterproductive”, Luxembourg’s Minister for Energy and Spatial Planning, Claude Turmes, said: “A high [carbon] price will create unnecessary social hardship in an EU where purchase power differ largely between Member States. A low price will fail to deliver the necessary emissions reduction”.
In addition to these countries, France, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Ireland and Bulgaria are also said to have expressed concerns about this option on Wednesday at a meeting of member state ambassadors to the EU (Coreper), according to information from the Financial Times newspaper.
These fears are also shared by many MEPs (see EUROPE 12762/10) and even by some European Commissioners, notably Nicolas Schmit (see EUROPE 12764/24; 12763/13). (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)