6 October 2023 – Medium-sized companies (SMEs) in Germany are angrily up in arms against the EU climate tariff CBAM. Because neither the responsibilities have been clarified, nor is there a functioning system and it is becoming increasingly clear that the EC has simply ignored or simply suppressed all warnings about CBAM.
EU climate tariff makes German companies angry
Companies not only in Germany are furious with the European Commission. With the EU climate tariff measure CBAM, which was introduced hastily and exclusively for the benefit of multinational corporations, the bureaucracy monster in Brussels is puffing itself up even further and recklessly endangering the European economy.
SMEs not welcome in CBAM design
The EC either ignored the emphatic warnings of associations and companies, rejected them on flimsy grounds or even deliberately lied to companies on the part of the EU in order to exclude them from participating in the design of the CBAM measure.
CBAM: It is clear that nothing is clear
Now the CBAM reality has also arrived in Germany. For example, the German magazine Focus reports today that there would not even be clarified responsibilities regarding CBAM in Germany. No authority would feel responsible in this regard.
“German customs confirmed to us in writing that they were not responsible and that they are not aware of any authority in Germany that is responsible for CBAM,” Thorsten Gerber, CEO of the Gerber Group, said today. “Enquiries to the German Federal Environmental Agency and the Emissions Trading Authority are ongoing, but have not yet been answered,” the international stainless steel trader continued.
CO2 calculation system was never intended for SMEs
The European Emissions Trading Scheme has been in place since 2005. Until now, only a few companies, just over 11,000 in the EU, were obliged to regularly report their CO2 emissions. Now the EC, driven by lobby groups, has apparently decided that this highly complex system could be applied in a slightly modified form to the 23 million small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe. But in doing so, they neglected to create a functioning system or a simple and functional IT infrastructure. According to the EC, an IT-supported CBAM registration mask is not expected until the end of October 2023 at the earliest. Whether the system will really work then remains questionable.
Warnings from SME ignored
The EC’s own impact assessment on CBAM, which is supposed to protect SMEs from such bureaucratic mistakes, was simply ignored despite several clear warnings from the Gerber Group to the responsible EC offices and directly to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about the existence of this impact assessment and the resulting dangers for European SMEs.
European Commission out of control
“This is yet another example of how the European Commission has completely slipped out of the control of the member states and does what they wants. On the part of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and its Federal Minister Robert Habeck, all we seem to see are pretty pictures of him handing out subsidy notices to ailing steel producers,” Thorsten Gerber said in response to the question of what he would now expect from the German Federal Government.
Robert Habeck: Finally take care of your job…
Thorsten Gerber went on to say: “With the best will in the world, I cannot see any reduction of bureaucracy for more growth in the economy and to relieve the burden on citizens. It doesn’t matter whether the federal government announced this last time or not. You should finally do your job, Mr. Habeck, and assume your responsibility in Brussels. Things cannot and must not go on like this. And even if your love of your fatherland is non-existent, you have sworn an oath to protect this country. Or was that perjury? If you can’t do it, then finally make room for capable and willing people in your ministry and apply for a place as a lobbyist at thyssenkrupp – I’m sure they’re open to your fantasies.”
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