EU governments, including Romania and Poland, are contesting the European Commission's plan to reduce the number of free CO2 emission certificates.

The European Union's plan to reduce the number of free CO2 emission certificates for industry faces opposition from several governments, including Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, and Slovakia. These states have requested the European Commission to maintain the number of certificates at the previous year's level, citing risks to the competitiveness of energy-intensive industries affected by rising energy prices due to the war in Iran.

The European Commission recently proposed regulations that could reduce carbon costs by four billion euros by 2030, through a slower reduction of free certificates. While some governments, such as Spain and Sweden, support maintaining the rigor of the emissions trading system (ETS), the contested document will be discussed at the meeting of EU Industry Ministers. The EU is also planning a review of the ETS system in July to align with the climate goals for 2040.