At the same time, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás emphasized the importance of climate protection and emission reduction and for it to be presented as a global issue.
“Hungary is happy to support more ambitious goals than at present, but it must be seen in the same light that the majority of member states have not complied with the commitments made so far,” he said.
The Minister said that the European Commission is choosing instruments unacceptable to Hungary, because in the end it would not be the polluters who pay, but rather the owners of apartments and cars who would have to be taxed. In addition, the results of the overhead reduction will be shattered by the plan, he added.
Government spokeswoman Alexandra Szentkirályi detailed in a Facebook post the reasons why Hungary is opposed to the deal in its current form.
“The Commission’s climate protection plan has low positive environmental impact, as a carbon price increase for households would only lead to a minimal reduction on consumption (and thus emissions), and would have a much more drastic increase on the financial burden on families,” Szentkirályi wrote.
According to the government spokesman, the proposal would also be unfair because of the income disparities between the member states of the European Union, and it is therefore unacceptable for every family in each country to pay the same amount for emissions.
According to the Hungarian government, uniform costs would impose a disproportionately high burden on lower-income households.
“It would not be in line with member states’ rules, as each member state has very different consumer protection, price and other regulations for fuels and, in particular, household energy. It has no social support, as the majority of people in all member states reject the introduction of a common carbon tax,” she said.
Title image: European Commissioner for European Green Deal Frans Timmermans speaks during a media conference at EU headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, July 14, 2021. The European Union is unveiling Wednesday sweeping new legislation to help meet its pledge to cut emissions of the gases that cause global warming by 55% over this decade, including a controversial plan to tax foreign companies for the pollution they cause. (AP Photo/Valeria Mongelli)
