Friday

22nd Sep 2023

Poland threatens to veto EU's Fit for 55

  • Environment ministers debated the bloc's landmark climate policy, Fit for 55, at the Council of the EU in the Justus Lipsius building on Monday (Photo: Council of the EU)
Listen to article

EU climate ministers debated climate policy on Monday (20 December), with worries about the 'energy poor' taking centre stage, and amid veto threats and accusations.

The EU's keynote 'Fit for 55' package - a complex set of rules under debate - aims to reduce EU carbon emissions by 55 percent by 2030.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

At its heart is a revision and expansion of the EU's carbon emissions trading scheme (ETS). Currently, the ETS scheme limits emissions in the power sector and manufacturing industry in Europe.

Now it is set to reduce the number of free allowances for industry, which will "increase the pace of emissions cuts" according to the European Commission.

The commission has also proposed to expand a separate ETS system to housing and shipping (ETS II).

"Let the market do the work. ETS is one of the best instruments we have," vice-president Frans Timmermans told MEPs on Monday. "Expanding it to housing and markets is essential," he added.

But the Polish climate minister Anna Moskwa came out hard against the plan. "If the Fit for 55 package contains solutions to the detriment of citizens, we will take all legal action to veto them," she warned.

"The dysfunctional, unreformed ETS system cannot be transposed to other industries, and an extension to buildings and transport are impossible to accept," she said.

Climate documents under examination should be agreed upon by unanimous decision, she urged, because they touch on fiscal aspects.

"If we want to accept ETS, we should work in the spirit of compromise, and qualified agreement does not work to ensure that."

None of the countries on Monday came out in opposition as strongly as Poland, although Czech minister Karel Havlíček last week voiced his support for a suspension of the new ETS rules, and Cyprus is also against expanding the system.

Many countries, including Spain, Hungary, Luxembourg, Belgium, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Ireland, Slovakia, Romania and Malta did however express unease about the price impact on citizens if ETS is extended to housing and transport.

The Netherlands and France, both supporters of ETS, expect debates to continue into next year.

Germany, Finland, Croatia and Denmark also all supported the ETS system and the extension to housing and transport.

Climate lies

Portuguese minister for the environment João Pedro Matos Fernandes, in a call for more action, accused some of telling lies.

"I appreciate that many people are going to lie and say that the energy crisis is a consequence of what we're trying to do with our climate transition. That is wrong," he said, without mentioning any names. "Consumer prices for on the energy market in Portugal have been stable for years, because we have invested in renewables."

He also urged his EU colleagues to iron out differences sooner rather than later.

"There are worries about the justness of the transition, and we also have concerns about the extension of the ETS system to roads and housing, but we need to put an end to our fossil-fuel use," he said.

"Climate law is mandatory for everyone. We need to invest and make our economies grow [...] It is not conceivable we will not reach an agreement during the French [EU] presidency," which will start in January and last until the end of June.

Timmermans told EU ministers member states will need to lay out their position in the coming months.

ETS expansion to homes and cars raises bills fears

The EU wants to become the first continent to reach net-zero. But revenues from the Social Climate Fund will be low, and not commensurate with the task of renovating 35 million homes or getting millions of cars off the road.

Activists slam tweak to EU carbon allowance scheme

Ahead of EU environment ministers' meeting, environmental groups sent a joint letter urging ministers to "uphold the 'polluter-pays' principle, as enshrined in EU law when reforming the Emissions Trading System."

Timmermans: high energy prices must speed up transition

High energy bills are already affecting businesses and households across the bloc. But only about one-fifth of the price increase can be attributed to the CO2 prices rising, EU's climate chief Frans Timmermans told lawmakers

Latest News

  1. Europe's energy strategy: A tale of competing priorities
  2. Why Greek state workers are protesting new labour law
  3. Gloves off, as Polish ruling party fights for power
  4. Here's the headline of every op-ed imploring something to stop
  5. Report: Tax richest 0.5%, raise €213bn for EU coffers
  6. EU aid for Africa risks violating spending rules, Oxfam says
  7. Activists push €40bn fossil subsidies into Dutch-election spotlight
  8. Europe must Trump-proof its Ukraine arms supplies

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  2. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  3. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  4. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us