MEP Željana Zovko (PPE) has asked the European Commission to assess how the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) affects EU candidate countries, warning that their lack of carbon pricing and monitoring systems may penalise renewable energy producers. In a written parliamentary question submitted on 20 April 2026, Zovko argues that CBAM implementation should better account for the specific circumstances of countries whose energy systems and regulatory frameworks are still in transition.
The question, filed under Rule 144, contains three concrete asks: first, for the Commission's assessment of how the absence of monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems and carbon pricing in candidate countries leads to changes in assigned emission values; second, for measures to ensure that generators relying mainly on renewable sources are not disproportionately penalised due to a lack of national regulatory capacity; and third, for ways to align CBAM implementation with supporting decarbonisation in the EU's neighbourhood, so as to recognise and incentivise clean energy producers rather than discouraging them.
Zovko's intervention signals a concern that CBAM, designed to prevent carbon leakage by imposing a carbon price on imports, may inadvertently harm clean energy investments in candidate countries. The MEP appears to advocate for a more nuanced approach that rewards early decarbonisation efforts, rather than applying a uniform carbon cost that fails to reflect the actual emissions profile of individual producers.
The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. Its answer will indicate whether it is open to revising CBAM rules for candidate countries or maintaining the current framework, and will signal the EU's broader approach to aligning climate policy with enlargement objectives.