Italy and Czech Republic to seek softer EU carbon permit rules and methane suspension
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Czech counterpart Andrej Babiš will agree joint proposals ahead of an October 15-16 EU summit, including temporarily suspending an EU methane regulation and postponing ETS2 now due in 2028, their officials said.
ROME, Sept 29 (Reuters) — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Czech counterpart Andrej Babiš will agree joint proposals to curb energy costs and overhaul the European Union's carbon market, officials from Rome said ahead of their meeting on Tuesday. The two leaders aim to present the reform package at the October 15-16 EU summit, the Italian officials said. Meloni and Babiš are focusing on easing European Union rules that could trigger energy supply disruptions while also reforming the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), a regulation forcing power plants and industries to buy CO2 permits when they pollute.
As part of the package, Rome and Prague are calling on the EU to temporarily suspend a regulation on methane which, according to the officials, could make it more difficult to rely on alternative gas suppliers from January, potentially increasing energy costs and threatening security of supply. The two governments also want the EU to postpone ETS2 regulation, currently scheduled to come into force in 2028, arguing it could further increase energy costs in some sectors including road transport and housing. com; +390680307711;)