“We have just come out of a very demanding European Council, requiring a great deal of effort and diplomatic activity – I won’t call them intrigues, because that would be too strong a word – but rather discreet cooperation, primarily along the Poland-Italy line,” said Donald Tusk on his way back from the EU summit in Brussels.
While the Polish prime minister spoke of a breakthrough in the approach to the ETS, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz assured that “the ETS system is a great success.” – “It has been in operation for 20 years and is a market-based and technologically neutral system. We do not question its existence,” said the German government leader.
The portal Politico reports that most EU leaders at the summit voted in favor of maintaining the EU ETS system. Friedrich Merz, quoted by the outlet, stated that the system is a “great success” and that “we do not question its existence.” He added that the changes expected to be introduced into the system “will not be fundamental.”
On his return from Brussels, Donald Tusk briefed journalists on the behind-the-scenes negotiations and presented the decisions taken, claiming that a breakthrough had been achieved. – “What we have managed to achieve is in fact a breakthrough – in a sense, a political revolution in the EU – where the institutions and essentially all member states have begun speaking our language, meaning they now say that an individual approach to each country is needed, taking into account its interests, problems, and specific circumstances,” he stressed.
Diplomatic intrigues?
“We have just come out of a very demanding European Council, requiring a great deal of effort and diplomatic activity – I won’t call them intrigues, because that would be too strong a word – but rather discreet cooperation, primarily along the Poland-Italy line,” reported Donald Tusk.
He added that for “many days, together with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, we had been preparing a course of action aimed at encouraging the most pro-climate countries and the European Commission to adopt the most flexible possible approach to ETS.”
From the Italian prime minister’s account, it can be inferred that her priorities at this summit were immigration and fuel prices in the context of the ongoing conflict. Regarding the first issue, which has affected Italy for years, she organized an informal meeting on the sidelines of the summit. The Polish prime minister participated in it, but did not play a particularly significant role there, unlike, for example, the prime minister of the Netherlands.
Government spokesperson Adam Szłapka wrote on the X platform that “Europe will not be open to refugees,” adding a photo of Donald Tusk from a press conference held on board the plane.