EU leaders concluded a two-day summit in Brussels on Friday with limited progress on energy policies, including the ETS2 carbon pricing system, after intense negotiations led by Poland and its allies.
Poland, alongside Italy and the Visegrád Group, pushed for revisions to ETS2, which targets emissions from buildings and road transport. While no formal changes were approved, the summit’s conclusions called for the European Commission to update its assessment of ETS2’s impacts, particularly its structure and safeguard mechanisms. A Brussels source described this as “putting a foot in the door,” leaving open the possibility of further delays to its 2028 implementation .
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed the outcome, stating that ETS2 would be reviewed for its social and economic effects on households and businesses. Analyst Michał Wojtyło of the Institute for Reform noted that the summit’s language on ETS2 was unexpectedly specific, despite the Commission’s prior stance that no revisions would be discussed during the current ETS review .
The debate extended into broader energy competitiveness concerns, with Hungary’s Prime Minister Péter Magyar highlighting it as the summit’s most contentious issue. However, no binding decisions were reached, and further discussions were deferred .
