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Poland’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Zbigniew Ziobro, announced today that he has petitioned the Constitutional Tribunal to declare the EU’s carbon emission trading system (ETS) unconstitutional. Ziobro argued that the ETS infringes on Polish sovereignty, economic freedom, and the right to veto EU decisions.
The petition is based on three fundamental accusations. Ziobro contends that the ETS violates the principle of unanimity, which allows each EU member state, including Poland, to veto decisions concerning the energy mix and energy security. He emphasized the need for key EU decisions in strategic areas to be made through unanimity, not usurpation.
Ziobro highlighted the adverse economic impact of the ETS, asserting that it forces Poles to pay significantly higher electricity bills. The ETS obliges Poland to purchase emission rights, contributing to a surge in electricity production costs, already comprising two-thirds of the country’s energy expenses.
The ETS, criticized as an attack on economic freedom, is also accused of violating constitutional principles such as the rule of law and sustainable development. Since international capital and investment funds entered the CO2 emissions trading, the so-called eco-tax has quadrupled, fueling inflation and hindering economic development.