EU Council and Parliament Agree on November 12 to Boost Free Carbon Allowances by About 121 Million for 2026-2030
The Council of the European Union on the evening of November 12, 2026, in Brussels reached a provisional agreement with the European Parliament to revise the EU emissions trading system (ETS), increasing free carbon allowances for energy-intensive industries from 2026 to 2030 by a total safety cushion of roughly 121 million allowances. Ireland's Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O'Brien, commented on the deal.
On top of the European Commission's proposal to make around 88 million allowances available, the co-legislators added a further 28 million allowances not previously allocated because installations had not met conditions such as energy audits or climate neutrality plans, and set aside 5 million allowances for the sectors most exposed to carbon leakage. Any unused allowances will support the Modernisation Fund and the Innovation Fund. Heat and fuel benchmarks account for about a quarter of free allocation and cover sectors including chemicals, pulp and paper, food and beverage processing, ceramics and glass.
The provisional agreement must now be endorsed by both the Council and the Parliament and formally adopted after legal-linguistic revision, after which the Commission will adopt implementing rules. The file is part of the One Europe, One Market Roadmap, due for completion in the first quarter of 2027. (Source: Council of the European Union)
Source: Council of the European Union
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于比利时布鲁塞尔的埃格蒙宫，欧盟机构云集之地。照片：Michel wal，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Egmont Palace in Brussels, Belgium. Photo by Michel wal, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
