Overview
- Italy’s industry minister Adolfo Urso said he will ask the European Commission to halt the EU carbon market until a deep revision, calling the ETS an added tax on businesses and urging a delay to phasing out free allowances.
- Eleven countries in the Friends of Industry group issued a joint declaration urging a pragmatic approach to free CO2 allocations, a stable support mechanism for exporters, stronger market‑stability tools, and alignment with the CBAM, echoing recent BusinessEurope demands.
- France’s industry minister Sébastien Martin urged prudence, saying Paris does not support making the system collapse, underscoring divisions and the absence of any adopted suspension.
- EU industry chief Stéphane Séjourné backed a thorough rethink so the ETS is seen as an investment driver rather than a tax, with a formal review scheduled for July and the topic expected at the March leaders’ meeting.
- A letter signed by 150 Italian scientists, including Nobel laureate Parisi, warned that stopping the ETS would undermine decarbonisation and weaken long‑term competitiveness.