Bratislava – Richard Takáč, the Minister of Agriculture of the Slovak Republic from Smer-SD, called for the abolition of the EU emissions trading system known as ETS2, arguing that the EU’s goal of decarbonization is unrealistic. This statement was made during the Sunday discussion program TA3 In Politics. Opposition MP Tamara Stohlová from the National Council of the Slovak Republic reminded the minister that the Slovak government manages the Social-Climate Fund, which can assist households adversely affected by ETS2, according to TASR.
“It’s nice, but globally the European Union does not operate on a separate globe, somewhere else, it is part of the world as such,” said Richard Takáč, emphasizing that the EU’s pursuit of carbon neutrality will have little impact without cooperation from major players like China and the USA. He cautioned that the EU must maintain its competitiveness relative to other regions.
Tamara Stohlová criticized ruling coalition politicians for alarming citizens about potential increases in energy and transportation costs due to the introduction of the ETS2 system. She pointed out that the Social-Climate Fund, overseen by Deputy Prime Minister Peter Kmec (Hlas-SD), could be utilized for this purpose, highlighting that Minister of the Environment Tomáš Taraba (nominated by SNS) is responsible for implementing it and developing relevant legislation.
“The fund has approximately 1.5 billion euros, which Slovakia does not include in its finances and can be used, for instance, for compensating households,” the opposition MP noted. (November 2)
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