France, Italy, and Slovakia have urged the EU to simplify its carbon border levy rules this year, calling for reduced red tape and standardized emissions calculations to ease the burden on businesses.
France, Italy and Slovakia have demanded the EU amend its carbon border levy this year to simplify the rules for businesses covered by the scheme, a document seen by Reuters showed.
The European Commission has already proposed changes that would exempt 90% of companies from the carbon border levy, which from 2026 will impose costs on imports of CO2-heavy goods including steel and cement.
The policy is designed to shield European producers against cheaper rivals in countries with less ambitious climate laws, and prevent them shifting investments abroad to countries including the U.S., where the Trump administration is aggressively rolling back regulation.
France and Italy, the European Union's second and third-biggest economies, demanded on Thursday that Brussels goes further in paring back the policy's administrative rules. This could include by letting companies use standardised calculations for the emissions produced by goods, France, Italy and Slovakia said in a joint paper seen by Reuters.
This would ease the reporting burden for companies covered by the rules, they said, echoing broader calls from some governments and businesses for Brussels to cut red tape to help struggling industries regain a competitive edge.
"The complexity of this system can lead to delays and a significant increase in management and operational costs for European companies," the paper said.
EU countries and lawmakers must negotiate and approve the Commission's proposed changes to the carbon border tariff in the coming months - giving them an opportunity to make further changes to the rules.
The three countries said Brussels should also consider giving European exporting companies free CO2 permits, to help them compete in global markets with rivals that do not pay pollution costs.
Through its bloc-wide carbon market, the EU requires manufacturers to pay for each ton of planet-heating CO2 they emit. China and some U.S. states also have carbon markets, but Europe's CO2 price is far higher than that of other major economies.
EU countries' environment ministers will discuss the three countries' proposal at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a stark warning at this year's COP31 summit, saying the climate crisis iss advancing faster than governments' efforts to contain it.
European leaders gathered in Dublin on Thursday, 12 November, for the ninth European Political Community (EPC) summit, with security, defence and energy high on the agenda. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held talks focused on peace, trade and regional cooperation.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 11 November. Today, we cover Russia-Ukraine peace talks, political tensions in Washington, strikes in Spain, espionage allegations involving Nvidia's CEO, and climate negotiations at COP31 in Türkiye.
Four million workers across Spain joined a general strike on Wednesday over the country’s deepening housing crisis, unions said, bringing disruption to factories, ports, shops and public transport just weeks before a snap general election.
Iran has unveiled a new underground missile and drone base, warning that it will respond forcefully to any attack, as tensions persist with the U.S. and oil tankers continue to be struck by naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, has topped global rankings of the most polluted major cities as hazardous smog continues to blanket the region.
Uzbekistan has showcased its first artificial glacier project at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Türkiye, highlighting an innovative way to store winter water for use in warmer months as Central Asia grapples with worsening water shortages.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has allocated $10 million to reinforce the Afghan banks of the Amu Darya River, where erosion threatens farmland and homes, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) said after talks in Balkh on Tuesday.
Extreme heat is threatening agricultural production and food security in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, where increasingly frequent and severe heatwaves are disrupting farming, damaging livestock and reducing household incomes.
Global temperatures are projected to rise by up to 2.8°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100 under current climate policies, according to a United Nations report published on 21 October, raising concerns about the world's ability to meet international climate targets.
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