EU Commission reforms emissions trading and ignites a climate row
The European Commission put forward proposals to reform emissions trading intended to give industry more leeway. Critics warn of a watering-down of climate protection, while business demands relief. The dispute is likely to become one of the year's biggest climate-policy battles.
Politico frames the initiative as a moment of truth for the Commission's climate credibility and writes that Brussels wants to allow industry to pollute more and for longer, against which Parliament and member states are signaling resistance. The Handelsblatt and Die Zeit highlight the underlying tension: climate protection versus competitiveness, with Die Zeit asking what European climate protection achieves if too few countries take part. From the Russian side comes a counterpoint: TASS reports that Russia has appealed to the WTO to clarify the dispute over the EU's CO2 rules and the border adjustment CBAM. Industry demands relief, while climate advocates fear for the instrument's effectiveness. Those involved agree that the reform recalibrates the balance between emissions reduction and location interests and remains internationally contested.