24 January 2025 – Calls for the start of the EU Carbon Border Tax CBAM to be postponed are growing ever louder. Now the European People’s Party (EPP) has also joined this demand at its Leaders Retreat in January – SMEs in particular should benefit from this. An EU scandal involving the targeted manipulation of the opinions of EU parliamentarians by the Commission is also causing additional problems for the EU Green Deal.
Demands: Launch of CBAM must be postponed urgently
At its Leaders Retreat from 17 to 18 January 2025, the European People’s Party (EPP) called for urgent changes to the EU Carbon Border Tax CBAM. Among other things, a postponement of the introduction from 2026 to 2028 and significant relief for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU.
We are delighted that at least one group of the mainstream parties is starting to think. Unfortunately, this cannot be said of the socialist and green-orientated parties. Sadly, they have been brainwashed by the one-sided and long unopposed lobbying of those who are currently shouting the loudest and have been and will continue to be rewarded with billions of euros in subsidies.
Steel manufacturers are already threatening the EU
As soon as the EPP’s demands became known, the first EU steel manufacturers were already threatening to let their plants in the EU die. This form of coercion and blackmail has a long tradition among European steel manufacturers. The European steel manufacturers‘ association EUROFER and the cement manufacturers’ association CEMBUREAU also called for the introduction of CBAM from 2026, knowing full well that the demands of the associations will be one-sided and to the detriment of private and corporate consumers in the European Union.
Whether the monarch in Brussels will fulfil the wishes of her party and its logical goal remains to be seen. We suspect that the President is unfortunately still wearing far too many the socialist trade union glasses. After all, it is not the commission in Brussels that ultimately makes decisions, but a single person.
However, we are very pleased that our efforts now seem to be meeting with more receptive ears and will continue to fight unreservedly for the competitiveness of European SMEs in the metalworking industry.
EU scandal: Was the Green Deal manipulated by the Commission?
As the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported this week, the former EU Commissioner responsible for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, is suspected of having used EU funds to finance green non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in order to positively influence the EU Parliament in the direction of the Green Deal.
Were MEPs influenced by the Commission?
The non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are alleged to have been given specific targets for lobbying MEPs and member states. This is reportedly based on confidential documents obtained by the newspaper.
No denial from the EU Commission?
The scandal was even discussed in the EU Parliament last Wednesday. Numerous MEPs spoke of a ‘scandal’. According to media reports, the new EU Budget Commissioner, Piotr Serafin, who belongs to the Polish Platforma Obywatelska party, admitted that some agreements within the EU had been ‘inappropriate’ in retrospect and promised improvements.
The fact that the Commission has not denied this shows that there is obviously more to these allegations than the former Commissioner is willing to admit.
The EU Green Deal and CBAM must be suspended
Thorsten Gerber, CEO of the Gerber Group, said today: ‘If these allegations are true, the EU Green Deal and CBAM must be suspended by the EU Parliament, comprehensively investigated and, if necessary, cancelled as quickly as possible. Otherwise, there will be enormous damage to democracy in Europe.’
He continued: ‘It cannot be that Ursula von der Leyen talks in Davos about the EU always sticking to the rules and having no hidden pitfalls in its deals, and in Brussels NGOs are paid by the Commission to manipulate the Parliament in a desired direction regarding Green Deal and CBAM. That was your Commissioner, Ms von der Leyen. This scandal is therefore your direct responsibility! As are the necessary consequences.’
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