In late November, Evonik’s CEO Christian Kullmann urged the EU Commission to either abolish the European Emissions Trading System (ETS) or overhaul it radically. Now, in a joint guest column for the Wednesday issue of “Handelsblatt”, he and EU parliamentarian Peter Liese (CDU) argue that the debate over the ETS must move beyond ideology. “Some people want to eliminate it or change it completely. We say that we need to act pragmatically now and secure smart compromises” the two write.

On Wednesday, the Commission is set to unveil its first reform proposals. According to “Handelsblatt”-drawing on internal commission sources-it will offer the chemical industry as much flexibility as possible in adjusting benchmarks. The EU also intends to remove the clause that allows the deletion of certificates from the Market Stability Reserve (MSR) without replacement.