ETS Reform + Commission Solar Strategy + Macron's "European political community" + Johansson's Child Protection Plan • Europe.Table

ETS reform: white smoke at shadow meeting
States to promote solar more
Macron’s “European political community”: precursor or consolation prize?
Johansson’s child protection plan: “Censor-ella is back”
Transport ban on Russian oil apparently off the table for now
EU holds Russia responsible for KA-SAT hack
Meta criticizes Federal Cartel Office before ECJ
EU exports record amount of waste
Daniel Gros (CEPS) on Europe’s petrol problem

Dear reader,

These are agreements that many had no longer expected: On Tuesday, the rapporteurs of the Environment Committee (ENVI), which has the lead function, took a huge step toward redesigning the European emissions trading system. The most important compromise: ETS 2 for road transport and heating of buildings is coming – albeit with restrictions. However, there is not agreement on all points. Lukas Scheid has the details.

The EU Commission wants the expansion of solar energy in the member states to proceed more quickly. This is the result of a draft for a solar strategy of the Commission. Brussels wants the member states to quickly present subsidy programs that will take effect as early as next year. One of the main goals is to make solar panels pay off their cost more quickly for homeowners in the future. Manuel Berkel analyzes the most important points of the draft.

CDU politicians spoke of a “privileged partnership” with regard to Turkey, Emmanuel Macron calls it a “European Political Community”: the proposal made by France’s president on Europe Day is not new, but is now being debated again: is there a need for a kind of preliminary stage for countries that would like to join the EU but are not yet ready in their eyes? At any rate, the potential accession candidates are reacting suspiciously to the idea, as Till Hoppe and Falk Steiner report.

EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson has proposed a regulation to improve the protection of children online. Depictions that show the sexual abuse of children are to be removed from the Internet as quickly and permanently as possible. But the measures with which Johansson wants to achieve this are causing criticism. Falk Steiner writes that EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already become acquainted with one of them. One MEP even rages: “Censor-ella is back.”

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Sarah Schaefer

Feature

ETS Reform: white smoke at the shadow meeting

The EU Parliament’s rapporteurs cleared a huge hurdle on Tuesday on the way to redesigning the European emissions trading system. They agreed on the introduction of a second ETS for buildings and transport. Nevertheless, there are open questions at the CBAM.

At just before 17:00 on Tuesday, Green Party shadow rapporteur Michael Bloss announced via Twitter that the deal was done. “We have a deal for EU’s biggest climate toolbox – the EU Emission Trading Scheme!” After days of negotiations between the rapporteurs of the lead Environment Committee (ENVI), agreements were reached on many points that many had no longer expected.

Most important compromise: the second emissions trading scheme for road transport and heating buildings (ETS 2) is coming – but with restrictions. For the time being, it is to apply only to commercially used buildings and heavy-duty vehicles, with a minimum price of €50 per ton of CO2. By 2026, the EU Commission is to examine whether an extension to private households is a possibility in view of the threat of energy and mobility poverty.

The expansion would be completed in 2029 at the earliest, provided energy prices were below the March 2022 average and the Climate Social Fund provided relief to households three years earlier. Companies would only be allowed to pass on half of the rising costs of fuel products to end customers. That means they would have to disclose their price composition.

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