Chancellor Friedrich Merz is pressing the European Commission to launch an EU-wide carbon price for heating oil, petrol and diesel at the start of 2028. His letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is not simply a climate-policy statement. It is also a demand for predictable rules as Germany moves from its existing national carbon price to the planned European system.
According to Der Spiegel, the common scheme was initially due to begin in 2027 and was already moved to early 2028. The delay was intended to avoid large price jumps for consumers buying fuel or heating oil. Several member states are now pushing to soften the plan further amid higher fossil-energy prices, citing concern over another price shock.
Merz rejects further changes and argues for planning certainty for households and companies. Germany has a particular stake: fossil fuels are already subject to a national carbon price there, while some EU countries have not had a comparable national pricing system, Der Spiegel reports. A further delay could therefore prolong an uneven transition. That does not establish whether German household fuel and heating bills would rise or fall after 2028; the supplied reporting provides no reliable cost forecast.
Merz also defends the existing EU emissions trading system for energy and industry. He points to electricity-price compensation in response to concerns that carbon costs make fossil-fuelled power more expensive for industry. Der Spiegel reports that the Commission proposed an ETS1 reform in July and that Parliament and member states are discussing it. The policy case for a common timetable is credible, but the social safeguards against abrupt household costs remain central rather than incidental to the decision.
Sources
- Der Spiegel · Source date: 2026-11-10
Independent editorial content. WUA is not affiliated with any political party. 2026-11-10