Europe’s struggling industries need lower energy costs, less regulation and a more competitive economic environment, not another tax proposed by the Greens, ECR MEPs said during today’s European Parliament topical debate on a proposed tax on the so-called super profits of polluters. For the ECR Group, repeatedly increasing the burden on European producers risks accelerating the loss of investment, jobs and industrial capacity to countries outside Europe, while doing little to reduce global emissions.

ECR MEP Jacek Ozdoba said:

“Hypocrisy is the best word that can be used to refer to MEPs who came up with the Green Deal and think that thanks to it the world will be cleaner. I don’t know whether it will be cleaner if cars were produced in China or India.”

The ECR Group argues that Europe must also address the policies that have contributed to high energy and production costs, including the impact of the Emissions Trading System and Green Deal obligations on European companies.

ECR MEP Alessandro Ciriani said:

“We need to radically rethink the ETS and the unsustainable obligations of the Green Deal before the determination to defend them drives the European economy into the ground. No political objective justifies indifference when businesses are closing and jobs are being lost.”

ECR MEP Adrian-George Axinia warned that another layer of taxation would further weaken companies already struggling to compete. Axinia said:

“It is the illusion of free money, which is actually money coming from those who innovate and produce. They want to destroy at any price everything that is left of the EU industry. It’s like Reagan said, if it’s moving, tax it. If it’s no longer moving, subsidize it.”

The ECR Group instead wants Europe to focus on restoring competitiveness, bringing down energy prices and creating the conditions for companies to invest, produce and employ people in Europe.

ECR MEP Jaak Madison criticised the repeated use of new taxes as an answer to Europe’s economic difficulties. He said:

“If there are bigger and bigger problems in the economy, because of the over-regulation, taxation and so on, the only solution what the Greens can propose is we need a new tax, we need a new enemy.”

For the ECR Group, Europe will not strengthen its economy or protect the environment by making it increasingly difficult to produce at home. Climate policy that simply shifts industrial production, jobs and emissions to other parts of the world leaves Europe poorer without solving the global environmental problem. Instead of searching for new sources of taxation, Europe should lower the cost of energy, reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens and allow its industries to compete.