Overview
- Coalition negotiators agreed to keep the national CO₂ price for transport and buildings in a €55–65 per tonne corridor in 2026 and unchanged in 2027, following the EU’s one‑year delay of ETS‑2 to 2028.
- The plan requires amendments to the Brennstoffemissionshandelsgesetz, with officials saying the move provides planning certainty that avoids a potential jump toward the industry ETS level near €80/t.
- ADAC estimates the 2026 levy equates to roughly 17–20 cents more per liter for petrol and diesel, with households on oil and gas facing higher annual heating costs.
- Revenue from the national CO₂ charge flows into the federal Klima‑ und Transformationsfonds to fund climate measures and related support programs.
- Separate analyses warn that ETS‑2 prices could reach about €100–€300/t by 2028, while the Global Carbon Budget 2025 reports fossil CO₂ at roughly 38.1 Gt this year (+1.1%) and diminishing land and ocean sink capacity, with China’s 2025 trend still within a small range of uncertainty.