At the ‘General Affairs’ Council held in Luxembourg on Tuesday 27 June, the European Affairs ministers of the European Union countries discussed, at Poland’s request, the impact of the EU carbon market on the various policies pursued within the Union.
Ahead of the discussions, Poland’s Secretary of State for European Affairs, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk, pointed out that the EU’s climate policy was “reducing competitiveness, encouraging state interventionism and causing significant social costs”. This policy cannot, therefore, be pursued independently of these two areas, according to the Polish Secretary of State.
Mr Szynkowski vel Sęk also claimed that the Emissions Trading System (‘ETS’) (see EUROPE 13164/13) had a negative impact on the cost of energy and accounted for 50% of the overall cost of energy in Poland. “A figure higher than the EU average”, he explained.
For the Polish representative, the high cost of energy and the proposals currently being put forward to extend the ‘ETS’ system to other areas, including households, risk affecting those on the lowest incomes. “This is why Poland is firmly opposed to it. This opposition has been very clearly expressed here in defence of people in poverty”, said Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)