The consequences of such action on the economies and societies of individual Member States are unknown. Based only on the previous experience and analyses (including those presented by the European Commission), we can assume with a high degree of certainty that the burden will not be evenly distributed among all countries, but will be greater for countries with higher emissions, such as Poland.

In this context, it should be noted that in the speech of President von der Leyen there has been no reference to the specific action plan and the required support. No information has been given on how the EU would achieve the above-mentioned goal and what specific tools, apart from the Just Transition Mechanism, shall be used. The JTM itself as a tool is not sufficient to bring about such a fundamental change in the economies of the EU. One idea is to make changes to the Emissions Trading System (ETS), but this mechanism would require significant reform if the target was to be increased. We support the postulate of increasing energy efficiency and increasing the share of renewable energy, but these changes will not lead to the achievement of the increased goal.

However, we welcome the reference to the role of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), as it could potentially be one of the most important mechanisms increasing global ambitions in the fight against climate change. Equally important is the promotion of electromobility, the expansion of the charging infrastructure and the thermal modernisation of buildings. Appropriate standards for cars and buildings are also very important. President von der Leyen rightly referred to the need to reduce energy poverty, as this is a very significant risk associated with an increased climate target and it has to be minimised.

The decision on the possible increase of the reduction target for 2030 is too important to be taken without a thorough analysis of its effects and without understanding and planning specific actions that would enable achieving this target. Therefore, the discussion of heads of state at the meeting of the European Council will be crucial. We believe that by then we will have sufficient knowledge to make such a decision in a responsible manner.