Evonik calls for abolition of emissions trading

Essen – Christian Kullmann, CEO of the Essen-based chemical company Evonik, is calling for the abolition or significant reform of the European emissions trading system. "We have the world's strictest CO2 fee regime, but the climate knows no borders. I therefore believe it is completely wrong to discriminate so severely with additional fees against an industry with excellent technology that is at the forefront of the world," Kullmann told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung." He also demands: "The CO2 fee system must be abolished, or at least drastically reformed." European industry will only be placed under additional strain in international competition. At the same time, Europe imports massive amounts of products "from countries with real CO2 emissions." "Economically, this is madness for Europe," Kullmann said. Emissions trading must be changed because global economic conditions have changed. "We are currently experiencing an epochal shift. Everyone is fighting for themselves; the industrialized nations are no longer solving global problems together," Kullmann told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. European industry is now facing competitors who are actively supported by their own governments and who also have significantly lower energy and raw material costs. According to Kullmann, the planned climate tariff, which is intended to protect European industry from environmental dumping, is also not working. "In case of doubt, when push comes to shove, Europe cannot enforce such a border adjustment mechanism," the manager told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The idea of ​​the so-called border adjustment mechanism is "a formal, bureaucratic trick with no effect." Kullmann calls for an extension of the allocation of free certificates to industry. "In a next step, we must then reach an agreement on what an economy, what an industry, from cars to cement to chemicals, can actually afford. We must increase the total number of CO2 certificates or reduce the price," he said.