2026-03-16 19:00
publication
2026-03-16 19:00
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Monday that the ETS system has proven to be a driving force for transformation, and now it must be adapted to the new realities. She announced, among other things, that a more realistic decarbonization path would be defined as part of the ETS review.
On Monday, the President of the European Commission sent a letter to the leaders of EU countries, who will meet in Brussels on Thursday at the EU summit to discuss ways to reduce energy prices.
In her letter, von der Leyen emphasized that the ETS carbon dioxide emissions trading system remains a proven instrument driving industrial transformation.
– Since its introduction in 2005, Europe has reduced gas consumption by 100 billion cubic meters, helping to protect consumers from high gas prices – she noted.
As she added, The ETS is market-based, technology-neutral and provides long-term investment certainty while rewarding those who invest in decarbonization.
– Companies across Europe made investment decisions for the coming decades based on the ETS. We must now ensure that it is also adapted to the new realities, emphasized von der Leyen.
She announced that The EC will soon adopt ETS benchmarks, taking into account the concerns expressed by industry. It's about the so-called benchmarks on the basis of which the number of free emission permits is determined. As the President of the European Commission added, her institution will also present “an application to increase the potential of the Market Stability Reserve so that it can more effectively counteract excessive price volatility and keep prices under control in the short term.”
“We are also accelerating work on the upcoming ETS revision, in particular to define a more realistic decarbonization path after 2030,” von der Leyen announced.
The President of the European Commission did not comment on the idea of temporarily suspending the ETS system discussed by some capitals. Italy proposed that such a temporary suspension would apply until the EC proposed a review of the directive regulating the ETS.
From Brussels Magdalena Cedro (PAP)
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