"It is unacceptable that Brussels would make the citizens pay for the costs of the green transition"

The EU's emissions trading system (ETS - Emission Trading System) has been accompanied by heated debates for a long time. At the conference organized by Politico on the subject, Diederik Samsom, Frans Timmermans, Chief of Staff of the European Commission's Executive Vice-President responsible for the implementation of the European Green Deal, confirmed that the Commission will present its plan for buildings and transport in July, speaking about the European Union's climate protection efforts for 2030. Samsom admitted that the measure "will hit poor people" who will "face increased utility and fuel bills". According to MEP Edina Tóth, the Commission's plan is unacceptable, in her opinion climate policy measures should be implemented in such a way that the utility costs for citizens are as low as possible - i.e. the costs do not increase and they also bring economic benefits.

Responding to the European Commission's plans Edina Tóth emphasized that keeping overhead costs at a low level is essential to increase the competitiveness of the European economy. According to the European Commission, on the other hand, "price increases are inevitable and are about efficiency".

According to the EP representative, the successful implementation of the green transition is unthinkable without people's support, one of the conditions of which is the existence of low household energy prices. "An example of this is the Hungarian gas market, where consumers used to pay above the EU average for gas. The change was brought about by the Hungarian government's measure, the utility reduction, since the goal of Hungarian economic policy is to keep people and families as much money as possible in their pockets," he added.

The Fidesz politician believes that the European Commission would make the overhead reduction impossible by revising the emissions trading system. According to Edina Tóth, the Commission should support the member states in achieving the goal instead of restrictive measures. "The solution is more investment in the green transition and more European funding," he added.

Source: magyarnemzet.hu

Image source: European Parliament