On Tuesday, President Karol Nawrocki’s position, which includes specific proposals for solutions and modifications to the European Emissions Trading System (ETS), will be submitted to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Wanda Buk, the president’s adviser, announced. At the same time, a letter from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been leaked, announcing plans to “adapt the ETS to current realities.” The emissions trading system will be discussed at Thursday’s European Council meeting.
On Tuesday, under the procedure set out in the law governing cooperation among the President, the Council of Ministers, and the Sejm and Senate, the President’s official position will be delivered to Prime Minister Donald Tusk ahead of the upcoming European Council meeting. The document will include specific proposals for solutions and modifications to the European Emissions Trading System (ETS), said Wanda Buk, an adviser to President Karol Nawrocki.
Buk announced the Presidential Chancellery’s upcoming move during an interview with Polsat News.
“We have already seen plenty of superficial and cosmetic changes. What is needed now are truly decisive reforms if we do not want to end up in 2050 as the poorest,”
the presidential adviser added.
When asked about details, she said she did not want to disclose them yet.
Asked whether the proposals would include withdrawing from the ETS system, she replied: “The first demand, not for Poland but for the entire European Union, is the abolition of this system today. It is a system that is deeply flawed on many levels. […] It can be corrected. That would be better than nothing.”
“I believe the president’s proposals, which will be presented tomorrow, are very rational and will prove effective. They were consulted with a group of experts,”
she added.
Von der Leyen’s Letter Leaked
A letter from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, intended for the upcoming European Council meeting on Thursday, where, among other issues, energy prices in the European Union will be discussed, has been leaked to the media.
In the letter, von der Leyen argues that the emissions trading system (ETS) remains a proven instrument driving industrial transformation.
“Since its introduction in 2005, Europe has reduced gas consumption by 100 billion cubic meters, helping protect consumers from high gas prices,”
she wrote.
The head of the European Commission does not support abandoning the ETS. Instead, she proposes “adapting the system to current realities.”
“Based on the ETS framework, companies across Europe have made investment decisions for the coming decades. We must now ensure that it is also adapted to new realities.”
“We are also accelerating work on the upcoming ETS revision, in particular to define a more realistic decarbonization pathway after 2030,”
von der Leyen announced.
The President of the European Commission did not address proposals under discussion in some European capitals to temporarily suspend the ETS.