EU leaders spent three hours at a Brussels summit arguing over whether to delay ETS2, the carbon price on heating and road transport scheduled to start in 2028. Italy, Poland, Czechia, Hungary and others wanted the launch pushed to at least 2030, with Estonia suggesting it could be scrapped. A majority rejected the push, but the debate exposed growing political pressure on the EU's emissions trading system. The real fight is about the original ETS covering factories and power plants. A group of member states, now reportedly 16, wants the European Commission's July review to be even weaker. With far-right parties in France and Germany using ETS as a political target, the legal framework is holding for now, but the review cycle remains uncertain.
