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EU ministers attack plans to extend carbon pricing to heating, transport

(EurActiv, 20 Jul 2021) EU environment ministers expressed “quite a lot of reservations” about European Commission plans to set up a second emissions trading scheme for road transport and buildings at their first meeting since Brussels tabled the proposal last week.

The proposal to launch a second emissions trading scheme for heating and transport fuels was announced as part of a broader overhaul of EU climate legislation presented by the European Commission on Wednesday (14 July).

But the idea was met with heavy criticism from the EU’s 27 environment ministers who were meeting for the first time since Brussels put forward its controversial plans.

“As regards the setting up of a special ETS scheme for transports and buildings, quite a lot of reservations were expressed,” said Andrej Vizjak, minister of environment and spatial planning of Slovenia, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council.

“I think it’s going to be quite a hard nut to crack,” he said at a press conference after the meeting. “At the beginning, the Commission will have quite a lot of explanations to make, but I’m sure that at the end of the day, we’re going to come up with a compromise,” he continued in response to a question from EURACTIV about the idea.

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EurActiv, 20 Jul 2021: EU ministers attack plans to extend carbon pricing to heating, transport