Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra has told the European Parliament that the upcoming Emissions Trading System (ETS) benchmark update will apply the maximum flexibilities possible within the existing legal framework, while a comprehensive ETS review due in July 2026 will include the promised Investment Booster to accelerate industrial decarbonisation. The answer, published on 12 June 2026, responds to a written question from MEPs Elisabetta Gualmini (Renew), Giorgio Gori (S&D), Stefano Bonaccini (S&D), Letizia Moratti (PPE), Susana Solís Pérez (PPE), and Vicent Marzà Ibáñez (Verts/ALE), who had asked whether the Commission's forthcoming proposal fulfils the commitment made by Commission President von der Leyen ahead of the March European Council to update benchmarks and introduce an 'ETS investment booster'.
Hoekstra's answer confirms that the 2026-2030 benchmark update is a legal obligation under the ETS Directive, from which the Commission cannot deviate without creating uncertainty and delaying free allocation to industry. The draft implementing act, currently in public consultation, incorporates industry concerns by using all available flexibilities within the existing law. The comprehensive ETS review, due in July 2026, will include the Investment Booster to fast-track the first phase of the Industrial Decarbonisation Bank, aiming to make funds available as soon as possible for clean energy transition projects. The Commission is also exploring ways to speed up project deployment and target support for mature, high-impact technologies, with the goal of translating investments into real emissions reductions while reinforcing competitiveness, energy security, and electrification.
The answer provides no new numerical targets or deadlines beyond the July 2026 review, and does not specify the exact flexibilities in the draft implementing act. It signals a policy orientation that balances legal constraints with industrial concerns, but leaves concrete details to the upcoming review. Institutional follow-up is expected in July 2026, when the Commission will present the comprehensive ETS review and the Investment Booster proposal.
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