Emissions trading scheme

Trust in carbon market ‘undermined’ by EU’s Russia plans, analysts warn
Analysts have slammed European Commission plans to raise €20 billion from the EU’s carbon market stability reserve as a way of financing a €300-billion effort to wean Europe off Russian fossil fuels.
Lawmakers vote to end free CO2 pollution permits by 2030
Lawmakers in the European Parliament’s environment committee agreed a major overhaul of the EU’s carbon market on Tuesday (17 May), including ditching free permits to pollute by 2030 and expanding the EU's carbon pricing scheme to the maritime sector.
Berlin pushes for a €60 minimum price on EU carbon markets
Discounting allegations of speculation on the EU carbon market, Berlin is throwing its weight behind a minimum price of €60 per tonne of CO2, saying it will ensure this through national measures if the EU does not take action.
Idea of carbon price ‘corridor’ resurfaces in France
The recent surge in CO2 prices on the EU carbon market has revived the idea of introducing a "price corridor", with a maximum and a minimum, in order to ensure greater market stability. EURACTIV France reports.
‘Politically-driven’ EU carbon market needs more transparency, analysts agree
The European Union’s flagship climate policy instrument, the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), needs more monitoring and transparency in order to prevent “speculation about speculation” and restore political confidence in the market, analysts have said.
EU lawmakers clinch compromises on carbon market overhaul
European Union lawmakers have reached an initial agreement on reforms to the EU carbon market as they prepare to negotiate an overhaul of the bloc's core policy for reducing planet-warming emissions.
Analyst: Price collar would preserve ‘political stability’ of EU carbon market
Some form of price regulation, like a price collar or position limits on market players, could address worries about high prices on the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and help prevent "a political backlash", climate and energy expert Michael Pahle told EURACTIV in an interview.
Meddling with EU carbon market could have ‘unintended consequences’, MEP says
A leading European Parliament lawmaker has warned against the potential “unintended consequences” of intervening in the EU carbon market, amid growing calls from some governments and industries to curb the activity of financial actors taking speculative positions in the EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS).
‘Money time’ for EU carbon market reform in the European Parliament
The lawmaker overseeing the adoption of a key package of EU climate legislation in the European Parliament has urged colleagues to stop fighting over the proposed reform, saying Europe must rise to the occasion in the current geopolitical context.
The forgotten innovation agenda of the ETS
Climate innovation is crucial in de-risking the effort to decarbonise the economy, and European policymakers need to make this part of ETS reform, argue Andris Piebalgs and Alessia Virone.
United States lawmakers are at a CBAM tipping point
A levy on carbon-intensive products is in the works in the EU, which would mean producers of EU goods pay for their emissions wherever they are in the world. It will have a serious impact on Europe's trading partners, making dialogue and understanding crucial to its success, writes Mohammed Chahim after a visit to the US.
No major abnormalities in EU carbon market, says watchdog
There are no major abnormalities in the European Union’s market for carbon emissions, but tighter controls could improve transparency and monitoring, the EU’s securities watchdog said on Monday (28 March).
High energy costs intensify debate over EU plan to decarbonise heating and transport
A European Union plan to charge fuel suppliers for the CO2 emitted by cars and heating buildings is emerging as the most contentious element in a raft of climate change policies the bloc's member states are negotiating this year.
Scholz’s master plan for Africa to bypass the EU’s CO2-tariff
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to address Africa's concerns about the upcoming Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) at the EU's external borders by bringing the continent into his so-called "climate club". EURACTIV Germany reports.
Lead EU lawmaker proposes carbon market rules to respond to price spikes
The European Parliament's lead lawmaker on reforms to the EU carbon market on Wednesday proposed rules to make it easier for policymakers to intervene in the scheme if prices rise too fast.
Poland calls on EU to remove ‘speculators’ from its carbon market
Poland has urged the European Union to introduce "control mechanisms" to the bloc's carbon market and curb financial speculators' participation in the scheme, the Polish government said on Tuesday (15 February).
Widespread support for EU social climate fund in European Parliament
Lawmakers from across the political spectrum voiced support for a new EU fund to shield poor households from the impact of the green transition, although views diverge on where the money should come from and where it should go.
EU carbon market blurred by volatile prices and speculation, Greens warn
The EU needs to tackle design flaws and speculation on its carbon market to ensure the price of emissions remains high and becomes a more effective tool to drive decarbonisation, according to a report by the Greens in the European Parliament.
High electricity prices, renewables and windfall profits – all paid for by EU citizens
The ongoing electricity price hike fuelled by the gas crisis makes a reform of EU power market rules more urgent than ever, argue Mike Parr and Simon Minett.
MEP Petar Vitanov: EU green fuel taxes ‘must not create additional inequality’
The European Commission has proposed wide-ranging legislation aimed at cutting emissions from road transport across the EU. But the various taxes embedded in the proposals run the risk of exacerbating inequality if not implemented properly, warns MEP Petar Vitanov.
Austria to give out annual €200 ‘climate bonus’
Austrian parliament has passed a climate levy on fossil fuels as a part of the much-praised eco-social tax reform. Passed on Thursday (20 January), the reform will see the levy paid back to taxpayers in the form of a climate bonus.
Parliament drafts energy poverty definition as part of EU social climate fund overhaul
The two lawmakers in charge of drafting the European Parliament’s position on the EU's new social climate fund have gone a step further than the European Commission's initial proposal by drafting a definition of both energy and transport poverty.
Lawmakers criticise plan for ‘CBAM reserve’ in EU carbon market reform
An EU lawmaker’s proposal to put aside free pollution permits for industry in case plans to replace them by an external EU carbon tariff fails, has been criticised by his fellow lawmakers in the European Parliament.