MEP Mirosława Nykiel (PPE) has raised concerns over the European Commission's proposed reduction in the benchmark for coke production under the EU Emissions Trading System, questioning whether the new level is technically achievable for conventional coking plants and whether the Commission has assessed its impact on competitiveness and supply security.
In a written parliamentary question dated 15 July 2026, Nykiel references the Commission's draft regulation of 11 May 2026, which sets the benchmark for free allocation of emission allowances for 2026-2030 based on the performance of the top 10% most efficient installations. Industry representatives, according to the MEP, fear the proposed benchmark may be unattainable for conventional coking coal-fired plants and note a lack of transparency on which installations were used to determine the new level.
first, a list of the specific installations considered and whether they are exclusively conventional coking coal-fired plants; second, whether the Commission intends to publish information on the technologies and best available techniques (BAT) used by the most efficient plants to enable other producers to catch up; and third, whether an impact assessment was carried out on the effects of the benchmark reduction on the competitiveness of Europe's coking sector, security of supply of strategic raw materials, and the risk of production relocating outside the EU.
The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks, and its answer will signal its stance on transparency, technical feasibility, and industrial competitiveness in the coke sector. The outcome could affect EU coking plant operators, downstream steel producers reliant on coke, EU consumers facing potential supply disruptions, and non-EU competitors who may gain from any relocation of production.