At a meeting of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee on Monday 16 March, Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for the Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, defended the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), stressing the positive role it plays in the energy transition and industrial competitiveness.
“The ETS is not a bad thing. On the contrary, it has driven investment and decarbonisation, while generating resources that can be reinvested to support a fair transition. It enables industrial players, depending on each Member State’s choices, to cover electricity costs or invest in decarbonising industrial production. At the same time, it facilitates the rapid decarbonisation of electricity systems and has proven to be very effective”, she said in response to questions, notably from Mohammed Chahim (S&D, Dutch) and Emma Wiesner (Renew Europe, Swedish), who are concerned about calls for the ETS to be revised.
Ms Ribera added that the ETS enjoys “broad support and positive appreciation” across Europe and remains the European Commission’s main objective. She pointed out that an evaluation of the system is scheduled for 2026, which could suggest improvements or adjustments in its application, but “the main aim remains unchanged”, the Vice-President stated. She stressed the importance of remaining open to debates based on data and the points of view of different stakeholders. “It is crucial that we continue to ensure that the ETS remains in place for the next twenty years in an efficient and fair way to meet the challenges ahead”, concluded Ms Ribera.
Council debate. On Monday, France indicated that it wanted to make the ETS more flexible, as it currently stands at the heart of a heated debate between Member States. “We must absolutely maintain the integrity of the ETS while adapting it so that it remains compatible with the decarbonisation capacities of our businesses”, explained Monique Barbut, the Minister for Ecological Transition, on the eve of a meeting of the ‘Environment’ Council.
At the same time, Italy has called for the system to be suspended in order to limit electricity bills, pending its reform. Several countries (Denmark, Spain, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden), however, are defending the mechanism and believe that suspension would be “a very worrying step backwards”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)