The MEPs of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party are committed to green transition but reject the climate tax proposed by the European Commission, because the transition should be paid by large polluters rather than Hungarian and European citizens, the group said on Friday.
Issued ahead of a European parliamentary plenary next week on Fit for 55, the EU’s draft package on climate protection and energy, the statement cited MEP Edina Tóth as calling the climate policy proposal “sketchy, irresponsible and contrary to common sense”. The proposal is burdening citizens and families with the costs of green transition, and so it is unacceptable, Tóth said.
The proposal, which aims to curb the EU’s emissions by 55% by 2030, contains the introduction of a “climate tax” and would significantly curb car manufacturing, a key sector in central and eastern Europe, she said.
“As a result of irresponsible energy policy in Brussels, energy prices and inflation are skyrocketing in Europe. The same would happen [in Hungary] if it wasn’t for the government’s utility price caps,” she said. The European Commission’s proposal is threatening the utility cut scheme and would further increase inflation, she said. Fight against climate change and the green transition are key to the future of Europe and the world, and so it requires responsible and effective decisions, she said. The EC’s proposal is against common sense, its climate advantages are meagre, but can lead to significant increases in energy prices, she said. It would burden families significantly and does not consider differences between member states, “and so we cannot support” its current version, Tóth said.
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