economy
February 13, 2026
EU prices killing competitiveness
EU industry associations have urged Brussels to cut energy prices and carbon costs to protect the bloc’s competitiveness
TL;DR
- Over 1,300 European industry organizations have urged Brussels to lower energy and carbon costs.
- Executives are calling for electricity prices to return to pre-2021 levels (€44/MWh).
- The EU Emissions Trading System charges approximately €80/tonne of carbon, significantly higher than China (~€9/tonne) and South Korea (~€7/tonne).
- High energy costs are attributed to commodity prices and regulatory charges, exacerbated by sanctions on Russia and a shift to more expensive energy sources.
- The chemical industry has seen over 20 major plant closures and an 80% collapse in investments since 2023, with major companies like BASF investing in China.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen cited planned grid improvements and offshore wind expansion as ways to lower costs, but industry argues these measures are too slow.
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