The Germans warn the Poles: this will backfire. Higher electricity prices
Poland’s objection will delay the introduction of the “heating tax”, i.e. the obligation to purchase CO emission allowances2 (ETS 2). The Germans warn that this will backfire on us.
The environment ministers of the European Union countries have agreed on a new climate target for 2040 – by then, greenhouse gas emissions for the EU are to be reduced by 90%. compared to 1990. Poland and other opponents of the ETS2 system managed to delay its entry into force by a year.
ETS 2, i.e. the extension of the CO2 emission allowance trading system to cover transport and construction, is to enter into force in 2028, and not in 2027 as planned. The Germans warn that this delay will retaliate against Poland.
Poles cannot afford the new tax on heating and refueling
21 EU countries supported the new climate target of the European Union. Against it were: Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. Belgium and Bulgaria abstained from voting. “The directive will undergo a deep revision, the ETS 2 rules will be changed,” wrote the Minister of Climate and Environment, Paulina Hennig-Kloska, on the X platform.
Poland fought to postpone ETS 2 for good reason. According to data from the Central Building Emissions Authority from March 2023, as many as 3.2 million Polish households heat their homes with gas, and 4.6 million use coal.
The new tax rate was to be approximately EUR 45 per tonne of CO2 emitted. An average household in Poland emits 5 to 7 tons of carbon dioxide annually, which translates to EUR 225-315 per year, or approximately PLN 1,000-1,400.
According to the Institute of Environmental Protection – National Research Institute (IOŚ-PIB), the price of coal could increase by approximately PLN 460 per tonne, gas by PLN 0.40 per m3, and motor fuels by approximately PLN 0.50 per liter. But if the price per tonne of CO2 emissions reached EUR 100, additional costs could increase even twice: coal would increase in price by approximately PLN 1,000/t, gas by PLN 0.90/m3, and gasoline and diesel by nearly PLN 1/l. Some forecasts dating back to 2035 assume that allowance prices may reach even EUR 200-280 per tonne.
Germany warns Poles against higher energy prices
The daily “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” points out that the later the system is launched, the higher the prices at the time of its introduction.
“The deadline may therefore be postponed take revenge on the inhabitants of Eastern Europe, who, unlike Berlin, have not yet introduced national CO2 prices. Paradoxically, in Germany, emissions trading may initially even lead to a drop in prices – even if it happens only a year later,” explains the FAZ daily. According to the daily, achieving the EU’s climate target for 2030 will now be much more difficult.
