Ten European Union member states have issued a joint statement calling on the European Commission to reconsider the implementation of a new carbon tax on heating and transport fuels. The group, which includes Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, argued that citizens should not face new climate taxes given current economic and geopolitical conditions.
The proposed levy, known as ETS2, is part of a broader revision of the bloc’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) scheduled for discussion this Friday. While the tax was originally intended to launch sooner, Brussels previously delayed its start date until 2028 in response to concerns about rising costs for consumers. The 10 opposing nations are also seeking more free CO2 permits for industries without the decarbonization investment requirements currently suggested by the Commission.
Supporters of the fuel charge, including Germany and Sweden, maintain that the carbon price is a necessary mechanism to incentivize the transition to clean energy. They argue that revenue generated from the tax will be used to fund technologies that help citizens transition away from fossil fuels, ultimately reducing the long-term financial burden. The European Commission has stated it prefers not to amend the policy further to provide businesses with regulatory certainty ahead of 2028.