Italian MEP Anna Maria Cisint (Patriots for Europe) has questioned the European Commission on the effects of the Emissions Trading System (ETS) on European industrial competitiveness, warning that the current system is contributing to deindustrialisation and urging a radical overhaul. In a written parliamentary question submitted on 10 June 2026, Cisint raised concerns about rising costs from CO2 price volatility, the growing role of financial actors in the allowance market, and the phase-out of free allocations for sectors exposed to international competition. She also called for suspending the ETS's application to maritime transport until viable technological and energy alternatives are available and a full competitiveness assessment is conducted.
Cisint's question, addressed to the Commission under Rule 144, outlines several concrete demands: adapting the allowance reduction rate to what is technologically feasible for companies, limiting the ETS's impact on energy prices, and combating speculative practices that she argues risk distorting the system's original objectives. The MEP specifically asks whether the Commission will propose a radical overhaul of the ETS, including action on allowance price-setting mechanisms and the participation of financial actors. On maritime transport, she requests a suspension of the ETS until economically viable alternatives exist and the scheme's effects on European competitiveness have been fully assessed.
The question reflects a policy orientation favouring slower decarbonisation timelines and greater protection for energy-intensive industries, pitting industrial competitiveness and job preservation against the EU's climate ambition. Stakeholders most impacted include European manufacturers in sectors like steel, chemicals, and cement, which face rising compliance costs; shipping companies, which risk traffic relocation to non-EU ports; EU consumers, who may face higher prices for goods and transport; and financial actors in the carbon market, whose role could be curtailed. The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks, and its answer will signal whether it shares Cisint's concerns or maintains the current ETS trajectory.