The EU has voted to improve and extend an EU Law to ensure that imported products have to abide by the same ‘Polluter pays’ rules as EU products do.
MEP’s who negotiated the new rules, including Dublin MEP Lynn Boylan, have suggested the funds raised by this mechanism could be used for measures such as decarbonisation projects in developing countries, or supporting farmers who’ve been impacted by rising fertiliser prices.
Lynn, the MEP for Dublin said that it was important to get broad support from other MEPs to reject the short sighted, politically motivated proposals that had been suggested by Ursula Von Der Leyen’s commission.
“By working together with other MEPs, we were able to ensure that the CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) would still be a strong tool for the EU to help ensure big businesses inside and outside the EU will make less polluting decisions.
Lynn, who is also the lead negotiator for the Trade Committee’s opinion on CBAM, said that this had helped to secure agreements on good measures in both the trade and environmental committees.
“The large majority backing my proposals in the committee must be used to push forward with measures to show that the EU is serious about climate action at home and globally.
“Ireland’s presidency of the EU must be used to do likewise, ensuring there’s proper time put aside for evidence based discussions on this, and not allowing it to be undermined by the short sighted political motives of certain governments.”
