ENERGIA

The Fit for 55 Package risks weakening the existing carbon leakage protection measures as the EU increases its climate ambition in light of the European Green Deal. As long as competitors in third countries are not subject to equivalent carbon costs and constraints, carbon leakage is a major threat for the EU industrial value chain.

Feedback from the federation ENERGIA, the sector organisation in Belgium of companies proposing mobility and energy solutions. Our members are active in the refining, distribution and storage in Belgium of energy solutions for transport, heating and industry as well as in the production of feedstock for the petrochemical sector.

Our sector is in favour of aligning the taxation of energy products with the EU’s energy and climate objectives. The introduction of both an energy & environment (CO2 based) tax for transport must be part of a comprehensive approach and an integrated tax mechanism. The objective is to give a credible price signal to guide citizens’ choices gradually towards “lower carbon mobility solutions”.

The revision of the tailpipe CO2 standards for cars misses the opportunity to stimulate the deployment of different innovative low-carbon technologies complementing each other to enable the effective and efficient decarbonisation of the transport sector.

We welcome the introduction of the REFuel Aviation regulation, which will create a market for SAF by setting an obligation to airlines, airport operators as well as to fuel suppliers. Together with the REDII revision, this will provide an adequate incentive to fuels based on their well-to-wing (WTWg) carbon footprint.