Poland opposes the Brussels plan: the system of CO2 emission quotas should be stopped

Poland opposes Brussels plan: CO2 emissions quotas system should be stopped

Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki believes the European Union should temporarily abandon the CO2 trading system for energy producers instead of extraordinary taxation of energy producers, as proposed by the European Commission. According to Morawiecki, the proposed special tax regime for energy producers will not provide quick assistance to European enterprises, as the additional tax would require redistribution of funds after collection. Before tomorrow’s emergency meeting of EU energy ministers, Poland recommends instead temporarily suspending the CO2 trading system.

“We do not rule out some taxation of super-profits, but there are other ways to start applying,” said Morawiecki in an interview with the Financial Times (FT). The Prime Minister of Poland foresees the suspension of the CO2 trading system or a significant reduction in the price of quotas for one or two years. The warning from the Polish Prime Minister indicates that the emergency meeting in Brussels on Friday may reveal new disagreements between EU countries, potentially making an agreement difficult.

Poland: one system is not suitable for all EU members Head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that Brussels proposes to introduce an additional tax on energy producers’ profits, which will be redirected to EU members to support vulnerable households and enterprises. The so-called super-profit tax will affect all energy producers who do not use gas as a raw material. However, Morawiecki warned against granting Brussels more powers in forming tax policy, stating that such decisions should remain in the hands of EU member states.

“I believe that they have already seized additional powers, which are not in the treaties. That is why we are very skeptical about granting extra powers to EU institutions,” he said. Although EU energy markets should be more interconnected, Morawiecki said, the EU cannot ignore the differences between member states.

“To pretend that a universal energy policy can be implemented easily is very wrong: one system is not suitable for all. All member states should have their own decisions that concern energy systems and the pursuit of climate neutrality,” he said. The Prime Minister of Poland also called on the EU to postpone the fight against climate change to a secondary level – as Germany is doing again, using coal power plants to help the country cope with the energy crisis.

Topics: #poland #system #opposes