The EU Council of Heads of State and Government ended in chaos on Dec. 17 as the 27 member countries disagreed on nuclear energy, natural gas and CO2 trading.
Some countries, such as Poland and the Czech Republic, are threatening to veto the entire EU Energy policy, if the CO2 Emission Trading System (ETS), considered to be the main driver in the energy price spike, is not shut down. At the same time, Austria, Luxembourg and Ireland opposed the inclusion of nuclear energy and natural gas in the EU’s Taxonomy of “green” energy sources.
Since EU decisions must be taken unanimously, the summit ended without a decision. Now the EU Commission must find a compromise or a transitory solution which must then be approved at the next EU Council.
Going into the summit, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki denounced the ETS as a “European energy tax.” After the summit, Morawiecki tweeted that the ETS “does not work” and needs deep reform. According to Euractiv, Poland threatens to veto the “Fit for 55” agenda to achieve “net-zero” by 2055 if the ETS scheme is not scrapped. Poland’s government “will take necessary legal steps” to block the elements of the Fit for 55 package “that would be incompatible with the nation’s interest and just transition,” said Climate and Environment Minister Anna Moskwa at the Dec. 16 press conference in Brussels. Moskwa called the ETS “a sickness” and said it “discourages [the countries] from transition.” She said it “influences the high energy prices hitting citizens and households.”
According to the Express, outgoing Czech Transport Minister Karel Havlicek called for the ETS scheme to be scrapped altogether.
On nuclear energy, Austrian Chancellor Nehammer chanted victory: “We managed to achieve a partial success in regard to not adding nuclear energy to the taxonomy,” he said. Austrian Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler told Euractiv in November that Austria would sue the Commission if the EU decides to include nuclear in the bloc’s taxonomy. Is the intent of the policy guiding Austria actually to reduce CO2 emissions, if it refuses the use of CO2-free nuclear?
Meanwhile, natural gas prices keep rising and the population cannot wait further. The January contract is at over €135 this morning, a €30 increase since Dec. 10.
