Prime minister: EU natural gas and fuel carbon tax should be postponed

Prime Minister Kristen Michal (Reform) announced on social media that he supports postponing the implementation of the European Union's emissions trading system (ETS2) for road transport and residential heating.
"I support Donald Tusk's recommendation to postpone this within the EU. I have also said this publicly before. I have already requested the preparation of a corresponding position," Michal wrote.
Michal made the post in response to Postimees' article on Monday, which discusses the ETS2 directive.
A few years ago, European Union negotiators agreed to establish a separate emissions trading system (ETS2) for road transport and residential heating.
The new carbon tax is set to apply to gasoline and diesel fuel, as well as heating sources such as natural gas. The goal is to reduce fuel consumption and, in turn, decrease dependence on major fossil fuel suppliers.
However, the new scheme could lead to higher fuel prices for vehicles. The cost of household heating sources, such as heating oil and coal, would also rise. The pricing of emissions is scheduled to begin in 2027.
At the end of last year, Euractiv reported that several countries sought to postpone the implementation of ETS2 by a year during the environmental ministers' meeting in Brussels on December 17. The initiative is being led by the Czech Republic. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has also expressed support for the delay.
Postponing the legislation would allow for more preparation, making ETS2 more acceptable to many countries.
Czech Environment Minister Petr Hladík said that Prague's "proposal was informally supported not only by Central European countries but also by major Western European nations."
Toetan Donald Tuski soovitust see ELis edasi lükata. Olen seda ka varem avalikult öelnud. Palusin juba ka ette valmistada sellekohase seisukoha.
— Kristen Michal (@KristenMichalPM) March 3, 2025
Seda maksu ei hauta Eestis, erinevalt sellest võimsast pealkirjast. https://t.co/zR5u1SF5ER
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Editor: Mari Peegel, Marcus Turovski