Poland Urges 'Postponement' Of EU Climate Plans Amid Rising Energy Prices

Poland urges ‘postponement’ of EU climate plans amid rising energy prices

Frédéric Simon

As EU leaders meet this week to discuss rising energy prices, Warsaw has called for an in-depth review of EU climate policies, including the “revision or postponement” of the ‘Fit for 55’ legislation tabled in July.

The Polish demands are spelt out in a “non-paper” circulated ahead of an EU summit on Thursday and Friday.

“The surge in energy prices has a direct impact on all EU citizens and comes at a particularly high socio-economic cost, especially for most vulnerable households, while the EU is still dealing with the profound economic fall-out caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Poland argues in the paper.

To alleviate the impact on the poorest households, Warsaw calls for revising the EU’s July package of climate proposals, dubbed ‘Fit for 55’, which aims to cut the bloc’s emissions by at least 55% before the end of the decade.

“We should analyse in detail all elements of the Fit for 55 package that can have a negative impact on the energy price and consider their revision or postponement,” reads the document obtained by EURACTIV.

“Special emphasis should be put on the revision of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) or changes to minimum levels of energy taxation (ETD),” it adds in reference to the EU’s carbon market and energy taxation directive, which establishes minimum rates of tax on electricity.

At the summit on Thursday, EU leaders will debate a proposed “toolbox” of measures put forward by the European Commission to address surging energy prices.

The European Commission also insists that any short term measure adopted at the national level must be in line with the EU’s internal energy market and long-term plans to cut emissions