The European Commission said it wanted to set up a fund to prevent fuel poverty because an ally of French President Emmanuel Macron warned of a proposed trade plan aimed at reducing emissions from transportation and construction. It is “political suicide”.
Chairman of the Committee, Ursula von Delane, Will announce a plan for a trade plan on Wednesday as part of a series of large proposals that will enable the EU to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, including targets for increasing the use of electric vehicles and phasing out Gasoline-powered cars in 2035.
Before speaking to The Guardian and other European newspapers, she tried to dispel fears that the plan would cause household energy bills and gasoline prices to rise. “We will ensure that low-income families receive support for travel, driving and heating,” she said.
However, Pascal Canfin, Chairman of the Environmental Committee of the European Parliament and Macron’s main ally, condemned the plan to establish an Emissions Trading System (ETS) for transportation and construction as “politically suicidal” and “a huge Political error”. “This is a very bad idea,” he said
He issued a severe warning, saying that the committee would “frame” middle- and lower-class families. He said that the hardest hit will be people in areas with poor public transportation, as well as tenants who cannot afford to upgrade their houses. “This is a huge political mistake, including the European project,” Kanfen said.
The French government, which took over the EU’s rotating presidency in 2022, was forced to Abandon the 2018 fuel tax increase After being strongly opposed Yellow vest (Yellow vest) Protesters.
“If you bring a family and someone starts work at 6 in the morning, there is no tram, no bus, no car, and then go to school to pick up the kids, carbon prices-it won’t work,” said Kanfen, who sits in the middle of the revival The European Group, an alliance with La République En Marche, the President of France Party.
“As a result, you will face higher carbon prices and have no choice. This is what causes frustration and anger, because people are ready to change, but in order to change they need alternatives, otherwise they will be trapped.”
EU officials argued that the total amount control and trading system is the best way to solve traffic and construction pollution. It is conservatively estimated that these pollution account for 58% of greenhouse gas emissions. While industrial emissions have fallen, traffic pollution has continued to rise.
“We must reverse this trend,” Von der Lein said. “One tool that has proven its worth is the emissions trading system. It says people who emit carbon dioxide must pay for it.”
In a leaked version of its proposal, the committee acknowledged that the building emissions trading system “may have a retrogressive effect…because low-income households tend to spend a larger proportion of their income on heating.”
Bas Eickhout, a member of the Dutch Ministry of Environmental Protection, said that these plans risk giving EU member states an excuse not to take action, thereby reducing pressure on governments that are unwilling to take action to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and keep gasoline-powered vehicles away from the road. .
The income from the EU Social Climate Fund will be “very low,” Eickhout said, making it doubtful that it will be able to pay for the large-scale renovation works required for the electrification of houses and road traffic.
“Whether you like it or not, European Union Very weak and poorly equipped [in this area]. Social compensation comes down to the taxation system, which is entirely the ability of the state, so the entire structure requires more state responsibility. “
The fund’s funding will come from ETS income, which means that its potential value depends on the carbon market price. The committee proposes to use one-fifth of ETS revenue for its “Social Climate Fund”, although the fund will be established by EU budget funds.
In response to her criticism, Von der Lein stated that if there is no emissions trading system, the EU will have to achieve the same goal in another way. “This will bring more regulations, more standards, more milestones, and more taxes. I am convinced that it is best to use market-based tools like ETS, because it will bring creativity, entrepreneurs in our business and industry Spirit and innovative strength provide room for maneuver to provide services to consumers.”
The European Union created the world’s first international total volume control and trading system in 2005, requiring power companies and heavy industries to purchase pollution permits. This move may trigger international criticism. The EU intends to extend ETS to all international ships calling at EU ports, including flights within the European Economic Area.
According to a long-discussed plan, foreign importers of steel, aluminum, fertilizer and other polluting industries will also face charges at the EU border. The plan aims to ensure that European industries are not weakened by more loosely regulated competitors. “Carbon must have a price everywhere,” Von der Lein said. “It would be unfair for exporters from third countries to reduce production [EU industry] Strive to enter the single market with cheap but carbon-heavy products. “
These plans are expected to include more than a dozen draft laws, which must be approved by legislators from the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers of the European Union before they come into force.
